Freedom's Will
by WindWitch00
Summary: Kagura is to marry Naraku but then war threatens and Naraku runs, leaving her to get captured by enemy forces. She expects her freedom, now that she's out of Naraku's grasp. But what Kagura doesn't expect is to fall in love with her captor. Kagu/Sess
1. Sick of Taking Orders

Freedom's Desire

Chapter 1

Sick of Taking Orders

The wind was calm as it wrapped itself around me, gently brushing against my skin like a caress before it began to howl off into the battlefield. I gritted my teeth together in frustration and anger.

Damn that Naraku, leaving whenever he sensed a battle coming and damn him for leaving Kanna and myself behind to guard the castle with orders not to leave the stone prison! It was because of that bastard that I couldn't leave, couldn't defend myself in any way or do a single thing about the constant quivering of the stones. The scent of blood was on the wind, the scent of an enemy drawing closer to killing or, as rumor had it, kidnapping, me.

It had begun a few weeks ago, when Naraku, my cousin and, perhaps fiancée, had received news that the Lord of the Western lands and his half-demon brother were coming to attack and kill him. I had rejoiced at the news that the bastard who controlled every aspect of my life and ripped any illusions of freedom away from me, was about to be killed, especially since that meant he would not be marrying my sister or me.

But the coward had fled.

This would have meant the end of my suffering since he was no longer here, however he left direct orders that we were not to leave, under any circumstance. And Kanna, being the annoying willful puppet had joyfully agreed to his orders, trapping me there by pain of death.

Now, all I could do was sit there as the dog demons drew closer with their army, smashing any resistance from our tiny force of troops, wishing I could at least go help our pathetic force. Anything was better than just sitting in the dining hall with the rest of the nobles, flicking my fan open and shut in anger, causing faint wisps of wind to come hurtling down the corridor at its call.

A particularly strong attack rattled the stones of the castle, knocking loose particles of the already breaking rock to rain onto the floor and everything on top of it. I grimaced and stood up. Kanna watched me expressionlessly.

"That's it!" I spat. "Damn Naraku's orders, I'm not going to just sit here and give myself up!"

"We must wait, Kagura. We must not disobey Naraku." Kanna whispered in a monotone. I snarled and opened my fan.

"Screw Naraku, he's not even here. If you want to be his little puppet, be my guest. I'm not his servant that he can order around whenever he feels like it!" I stalked out of the dining hall and ran up the steps that lead to the roof, ignoring any protests the puppet might have. I was the wind and would do whatever I wished.

As I reached the top, the battlefield spread out in front of me. It was disastrous, especially for our side. The two brothers were simply cutting through our lines like melting butter. Already the battle had carried on for an hour and the enemy was almost at our walls.

A bright flash of yellow cut through the front lines and almost to the end line, on the far right side of the battlefield. Seconds afterwards, a blue flash disintegrated the entire left flank before slamming into the walls, shaking them to their cores. It was a wonder that the pressure hadn't crumbled all our defenses within minutes.

I glared at the battlefield. How the hell could Naraku leave his loyal servants to fight in such a hopeless cause? I steadied the fan in my hands as I walked to the edge of the walls, testing the wind around me. Another blue flash hit the wall, this time cutting the left side of the wall into pieces that collapsed upon each other, leaving a large pile of ruins. I snarled and pointed my attention to that area. Whoever was shooting off those annoying attacks would be far within my wind's range.

I smiled before calling out "Dance of Blades!". Thick, sharp ribbons of whitish wind flew from my fan's tip, flying true to the area the source of the attack. I watched in pleasure as blood erupted from the area's the wind hit and as I felt almost every blade strike something solid before slicing it into chunks. That should be sufficient to kill the annoyance. I turned my back to the bloody ruins and waited for the yellow light to appear again.

The walls rattled beneath me and to, my horror, I felt the stones beneath me begin to collapse. My eyes widened in shock as I recognized the blue light's demonic aura. The damn pest had survived!

I leaped backwards onto steady ground, seconds before the area I had been previously standing on fell with a defining crash. That had been close, almost too close. My fan closed in my hand and I began to move it in a circular motion. "Dance of the Dragons," I called out calmly, but still in anger. My wind would flush out the one who had survived my blades.

I let the wind swirl in the circular motion for a few seconds before I pointed the fan out to the battlefield. Tornado's erupted from my fan's path, touching down on the field and causing disaster for the enemy's ranks. Take that, I smiled to myself.

An instant later, I found myself face to face with amber eyes glaring down on me, silver hair blowing in my wind. A sword pointed itself at my throat. I stepped back with a gasp. Shit! It looked like I was cornered. But I wasn't about to die so easily, or for that matter, right that moment.

My hand yanked my trusty feather out of my hair, letting furious wind blast my opponent away as I fled up into the sky. I rose quickly and didn't stop until I was miles up in the air, clouds masking my position. Everyone looked like ants from the distance, the castle a toy block.

I looked for my attacker, expecting to see a white dot on the toy block. But no one was there. I smirked. It looked like he couldn't even handle a little bit of wind.

Something whipped through the air behind me. I had just time to see a green line before instinct took over and I leaped off my feather, only to watch it snap in half as the green line whipped through it. It shrunk to its original size as I felt gravity take over my body and I began to plunge towards the earth. With a sickly horror, I realized I was about to die.

_A/N: _Hi! Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed. Sorry the chappie was so short but it seemed an awesome time to stop it. I'll probably update Sunday, at the latest. Don't forget to review!


	2. Who would have thought, dogs are useful

_A/N: _Hi! Here's the second chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It's cause of you that the chappie is early. I hope everyone enjoys and don't forget to keep those reviews coming!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 2

Who would've thought? Dogs actually have a good use.

I closed my eyes, preparing for the end as a felt myself plummet towards land. But before I hit, my back struck something solid that fell softly with my motion. The free fall feeling instantly vanished, replaced with a controlled down motion. What the hell? My eyes shot open.

Amber eyes once again filled my vision, this time not looking down on me. I hissed in recognition and struggled in my captor's grip. Why the hell hadn't he let me plummet to my death? Was he really stupid enough to try and kidnap me? In any case, if he thought I was going to cooperate with someone who was trying to kill or capture me, he had another thing coming.

The amber eyes turned down to me. "Do you want me to drop you?" a cold voice asked. I stopped to glare at him. This had to the older dog brother, Sesshomaru. The descriptions I had heard fit him, right down to the cold ass stare.

"Why don't you be a good puppy and put me down?" I spat back. His expression sharpened into a glare but he said nothing. I smirked. It looked like he wasn't trying to kill me. I studied my nails. "Hmmm, it looks like puppy hasn't learned his obedience commands." I looked back up. The phrase, if looks could kill, came into mind to describe his next expression. "Not too bad at fetching though." I continued to talk myself. "Not too bad looking, either." I felt a growl rise up in his chest. I laughed quietly.

It would appear that the rumors were true, after all. The Inu brothers had still attacked the castle in order to capture Kanna and me, to use us to bait Naraku. The must really want him dead, which was fine with me. Without Naraku, I was free. I smiled. Now I could see why Naraku had wanted us to stay within the castle and not leave alive. You would have thought that he would have known me better by now.

Sesshomaru's grip slackened on me and I felt myself fall to the ground. I winced and glared at the dog gently landing down with me. "Stay." He told me, tone annoyed, before walking away. I snorted and stood, rubbing the spots I had landed on before following walking back towards the castle. As if I was going to obey him.

Then he was in front of me, towering over me in anger. I took a step back with a gasp and raised my chin to stared back in him, my heart pounding in my chest.

"There you are, you bastard!" a loud and annoyed voice called from behind me. Saved by a pest! Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at something over my shoulder. I whipped around, my hand sliding up my sleeve where my fan was hidden.

Another dog demon was walking closer to us, the same silver hair billowing behind him with white dog ears sticking up from his head. This must be the younger brother, the half-demon Inuyasha.

"Where the hell did you go? Half of our army was wiped out by those damn tornados!" he barked.

"I was busy." Sesshomaru responded, voice cold. I slid out of their path. They looked about ready to tear each other apart and I'd rather not be in the middle of it. Neither of the brothers seemed to notice me, to my relief.

"So what, you caught a random fighter from Naraku's side. We're supposed to be after his damn cousins." Inuyasha replied. So he had noticed me and still hadn't recognized me.

"You're as foolish as ever." His brother scoffed. Inuyasha shot a glance at me. I smirked. These were the two who were after Naraku? I was almost surprised he ran. It was painfully obvious they couldn't get along for two seconds, much less long enough to kill him. Then again, he probably feared that they would unite or one would be strong enough to destroy him.

"What, so you're saying she's one of his cousins? You're an idiot. Naraku's family is just as cowardly as he is. They wouldn't come out and fight if their lives were in danger." I contained a glare. Just because I was related to the damn bastard didn't mean I acted like him. I would get my hands dirty if I had to, he wouldn't.

"Continue to attack if you like; my job is done. I have no more business here." Sesshomaru began to walk away. I watched him. Was the fool really leaving me behind to escape?

Before he had taken three steps, Inuyasha unsheathed his blade and ran at his brother. Sesshomaru had one of his blades out in a second and parried him. Within minutes they were fighting each other heavily.

I drew out my fan. As much as I hated it, Naraku still had some influence over me. It didn't look as the brother's campaign would last much longer and I didn't want to face Naraku after disobeying his orders without something to show for it. "Dance of the Dead," I whispered, the wind swirling around the many corpses around me.

Neither of the brothers seemed to even notice the dead beginning to move around them, surrounding them. I smiled and let the dead attack before walking away towards the castle, manipulating the corpses behind me as the foolish brothers finally began to attack them.

As I opened the wooden, non-barricaded doors, I let the wind drop, letting the corpses fall. I no longer cared what had happened to the brothers. I doubted that they would be well enough to attack at the moment, if they were still alive. They had, after all, continued to attack each other while attacking the dead.

The dining hall was anything but what I had left it as. Every noble in the place was slumped on the table or the floor, no visible marks on them. Kanna sat at the end of the table, calmly watching me.

"This place looks like hell," I remarked. "What happened here, Kanna?" She didn't respond. I walked over to one of the bodies and kicked it over. There were no wounds or death signs on them. I sighed. Kanna had sucked out the souls of all those present, apparently.

"Kagura," Naraku's voice called out, sending shivers down my spine. I looked around. Had the damn bastard returned? My eyes drifted over to Kanna's mirror. Naraku's face reflected in it. I grimaced. I stalked over to Kanna's side, feeling grim. Dammit all, I had been caught!

"Yes, Naraku," I asked cautiously, knowing very well that I was already in trouble.

"You went outside." It was not a question, but rather a statement. I inwardly flinched. "Have Inuyasha and Sesshomaru been driven off?" He smirked at me.

I cut back a sarcastic remark. I was already on dangerous enough ground as it was, without making it any worse. "I believe so." I replied, my voice shaky.

"Check again," he drawled back before the mirror became completely blank. I stared at it. What the hell?

Kanna reached next to her mirror, to two daggers that had been placed there and picked them up. She held one out to me. I leaned back, trying to get away from it before carefully and suspiciously grabbing it.

"What's this for, Kanna?" I asked. Somehow I doubted that we were to use them to kill the Inu brothers.

"Before they come, we must kill ourselves." She whispered. The dagger slid out of my hand, hitting the floor with an ominous clatter. I took a step back.

"No way in hell!" I screamed. I wasn't about to go and kill myself because Naraku willed it. Kanna reached down and picked up the dagger.

"We cannot allow ourselves to be captured." I took another step back and withdrew my fan. If I had to fight her to get away, so be it. Beside her, the soulless nobles rose from their positions, slowly walking towards me. "We must die." She repeated. She handed the dagger to one of the nobles.

My fan opened in my hand with a swift click. "Don't play shit with me, Kanna. If you want to die for him, go ahead. I'm not joining you!" Wind blade spouted in the air before rushing at her and the nobles. Her mirror swiftly repelled them and they came back at me.

I leaped out of the way. When the hell had she grabbed her mirror? My face turned away from the shining surface, eyes avoiding it. How was I going to get out of this? If I covered my eyes to avoid getting my soul sucked by her mirror, I would get stabbed and if I didn't cover my eyes, my soul would surely get sucked.

A familiar demonic aura filled the air. My eyes widened and I leaped up into the air seconds before Sesshomaru's attack dispatched the main doors and spread throughout the room, hitting Kanna directly and shattering her mirror.

"Kanna…" I breathed quietly as she fell to the floor, seeming more fragile than ever. Tears came to my eyes, unbidden and I blinked them away angrily.

My only sister was dead.

But she had been trying to kill me and had been restricting my freedom. In fact, I was basically free, if only for a fleeting moment. My joy at this realization was instantly crushed as the loss of Kanna overwhelmed.

I landed on the ground softly before I sank to my knees next to my now-dead sister. The wind swirled around me as my grief turned to anger. Damn that Naraku! If our 'dearest' cousin hadn't left us behind and told us not to leave alive, she would still be alive. If that bastard thought he was going to get away with this he was wrong. And there was my freedom to take into account. But I knew I couldn't do it alone. Naraku, as he was, could kill me without pause.

"Damn, you missed!" Inuyasha voice floated behind me. I turned around slowly to watch both brothers, more ruffled than they had been before, walk through the doors that had been turned to soot. My gaze drifted from them to Kanna's face. Slowly, I closed her eyes and withdrew my fan, opening it to cover the lower half of my face. The tears began to fight back but I crushed them before I rose to look at the brothers.

"And here I thought you were quicker to fetch than this." I teased, making my voice cheery. "You'll have to be quicker to fetch Naraku."

Inuyasha growled. "Shut up," he shouted. My fan closed with a click as I ignored him.

"I want Naraku dead just as much as you. If I come, he will follow, now that Kanna's dead. All I want in the end is my freedom." I purred, walking close to them. Sesshomaru seemed to consider it while his brother scoffed.

"As if we're going to fall for that," Inuyasha replied.

"Your freedom is nothing of our concern. If you merely mean to use us to get rid of Naraku, it shall not happen." Sesshomaru said a few seconds later, his monotone the same as ever. I smirked.

"Then why haven't you killed me yet?" I demanded. His face didn't change.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't answer to you." He shot back. I rolled my eyes. Someone was full of himself.

"Then this Kagura is out of here." I said before reaching for my extra feather and starting to walk to the ashes, a path leading right past him. Might as well test him to see if he really wanted my help and how much he wanted to kill Naraku. After all, if he wasn't going to kill Naraku for me, I had no use for him.

His hand shot out to grab my shoulder as I passed. I smiled. Gotcha, I thought before turning around.

A/N: Sorry, another semi-cliffy. But I love them so! Don't forget to press the beautiful periwinkle button...you know you want to! Maybe if you do, the next chapter won't end in a cliffy. Or maybe it will...


	3. Imps and Puppies

**A/N**: Guess what? I finally updated! Good news, huh. Sorry, I became addicted to Smallville after watching the 1st season and the other 7 sorta followed. Whoops. Thank you for the reviews, though. So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me...Kagura would still be alive

Freedom's Will

Chapter 3

Can't Decide Which is More Annoying: Imps or Puppies

I closed my eyes and listen to the wind whisper by, focusing on it instead of the annoying racket less than a meter in front of me. If anything, it made my impatience rise. The wind was harder to grasp on this stupid dragon, making the distraction from the babble a lesser one. My eyes snapped open, to glare at the dog a few meters away.

"Stay on Ah-Un," he had said, once we had finished talking about the situation. And, acting like Kanna once had, I acted like a puppet, only allowing myself to glare as we left the ashy ruins of Naraku's castle. After all, if I wanted Naraku dead, I had to be some measure of civil. So I had resisted the urge to snap at him that I could fly myself and to just get out my feather and fly myself, no matter what he had said. I just hoped that Naraku would be dead soon, before my resistance to my normal attitude died.

But to make matters worse than they already were, the "Great Sesshomaru" had put me on the dragon with his little imp, a little green toady imp, named Jacken or something like that. All the imp had talked about since we had left almost half-a-day ago was talk about his "Lord Sesshomaru" and how great he had been in the battle while I had never stood a chance against him. Something to plug my ears with would have been nice, the second before we had left the ground.

"…kill Naraku and then you won't be needed…" the imp blathered on. I ground my teeth; all I was getting out of his rant was blah, blah, Sesshomaru, blah, blah, Naraku. Well, if he loved his "Lord Sesshomaru" so much, I'd be delighted to send him on a gust of wind and see if he liked the imp enough to save him. The idea was tempting, oh so tempting, but the last thing I needed right now was to get on Sesshomaru's bad side by getting rid of his servant in an "accident". Hmmm, but maybe I could entertain myself by irritating the imp.

"If the puppy wants to kill Naraku so much, isn't he strong enough to track him down by himself? Why go through the trouble of attacking the castle and capturing his cousin?" I asked irritated. The imp looked at me in surprise, a mix, I was sure of, because I had spoken for the first time, and the insult that I had just flung at his precious lord.

"How dare you insult milord! He is to be called by his proper name at all times. Besides, I don't have to answer to you, witch!" he replied. "Milord's reasons for his actions are none of your concern." I laughed.

"Meaning you have no clue of why he's doing this, do you?" I shot back. "Looks like your 'lord' doesn't trust you well enough to trust you with such information, huh." I smirked at his wide-eyed, glaring face.

"But of course I know milord's reasoning! I'll let you know that he trusts me more than any other servant. But I'm not sharing his thoughts with pitiful wind witch!" he said, sounding irritated.

"Whatever you say, imp." I sarcastically answered. "I'm just surprised that the puppy thinks he is above researching his enemies."

"I already told you, wench, don't insult milord! He is much too great to treat a half-demon and his half-demon family with caution." I scoffed, ready to shoot back that I wasn't a half-demon at all. I didn't have the chance to say it.

"Silence, Jaken!" Somehow without me noticing, Sesshomaru had moved next to the dragon. It appeared the imp hadn't noticed either, for he jumped and very nearly fell off the dragon in surprise before starting to mumble apologies. Sesshomaru silenced him with a glare. I smiled. Yet another good use for the puppy, getting annoying imps to shut up. If only I would have known that earlier.

"This Sesshomaru would like to discuss something with you in private, witch." My eyebrows rose. Again with the whole _this_ Sesshomaru, really how arrogant could you get, not that he was the only noble that did it, but still. I eyed his hand which he had held out for me. As if I was going to let him fly me or talk with him willingly.

"Well, this Kagura would rather not discuss anything. She is quite comfortable not dealing with that Sesshomaru." I mocked in response. His eyes narrowed dangerously. He obviously wasn't used to not being obeyed.

"It was not a request, witch." He responded, eyes cold. It looked like I had no choice without being taken against my will. Stupid arrogant noble puppy!

I pinched my feather between my fingers as I slid off the dragon. His expression looked surprised as I didn't take his hand; instead I let myself go into a free-fall before my feather caught me almost a kilometer later. The wind briskly carried me up to beside the dragon. To my surprise, Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight.

A weight drifted onto the back of my feather as I wondered where the hell he could have gone, settling down right behind me. I grimaced and looked behind me. Sure enough, the puppy sat behind me, arms crossed into his sleeves and looking quite comfortable. What did I look like, a cart service? I got ready to snap at him before thinking better of it. If only I didn't have to stay on his good side. The wind picked up around me.

He looked at me expressionlessly before pointing to his left. "Go over there." He said, in a voice I could barely understand through the wind. I turned forward so he wouldn't see my I'm-going-to-kill-you glare and drifted off into the area that he had pointed out. He said something else when we reached the spot, but the meaning was lost in the wind and I wasn't going to turn around to watch him motion everything out. It wasn't as if I wanted to talk to him that badly, anyways.

I felt him tap my shoulder and grudgingly I turned around to him glaring. I mouthed, "I can't hear you," at him and pointed to my ears. His eyes narrowed and he pointed in a direction to the right of where I was headed.

"Fly that way, witch!" he shouted, looking angry that he had to do so. I smirked when my head was turned and followed the dragon's path, staying parallel to it.

"Whatever you say, puppy-boy," I whispered sarcastically into the wind before smiling and turning to face him. His eyes were narrowed but by his expression told me he had heard what I had stand but not with enough clarity to understand it. So his doggy ears worked after all. How interesting.

His arm slipped around my waist and I was pulled back into his chest. I stiffened. "What the hell?!" I shouted against him. He was actually quite comfortable to lean against but I would never admit it to anyone. The last thing he needed was an ego boost.

"Calm down, witch," he whispered in my ear. "If we are to talk, this Sesshomaru needs to hear you and you him." I sighed angrily. So much for getting out of talking to the egomaniac, I thought. Something told me that this wasn't going to end well.

"Whatever," I hissed before making myself comfortable against him. "What's so urgent that we have to talk about?"

"You wish for Naraku's death and yet you were to marry him. Why?" he asked. I frowned. But of course he wanted to know about Naraku.

"I didn't have much of a choice. Naraku killed the rest of my family except my sister and told us that if one of us didn't marry him then he would kill both of us or thrown us out on the street. I would have been just fine with living that way but Kanna agreed to it, binding both of us. I figured that if I got close enough to him, I would be able to kill him or find evidence that he killed the rest of the line, even his parents or failing that, others that he had killed." I said, in a bitter voice.

"And why would he go after you two?" Sesshomaru prodded. I laughed resentfully.

"If I knew that, then it would have meant that he actually trusted me. At first I thought it was because we were full demon and he wanted more than half-breed demon heirs but he could have taken any other demoness to do that with." I answered. He went silent. I took the opportunity to ask him, "And why do you want him dead? Did he make fun of your hair or something?"

Sesshomaru's grasp on me tightened. "The fool may have killed my father." He said, more frosty than usual.

"And you want to get revenge for his death?" I said, only half of it a question.

"This Sesshomaru wouldn't waste his time on something as pointless as that. If Naraku did kill him, he destroyed my chances of finally defeating my father and becoming as strong as him. Such arrogance and mockery to my honor does not go without a price." He replied.

"And here I thought that you couldn't form something more than a sentence," I teased. "Amazing. So how do I fit into your plan of trapping Naraku and getting back your wounded pride?"

"If Naraku took such lengths to keep one of you as his, he will come after you now that his other prize is dead."

"If you think that, you don't know my cousin as well as you think you do." I replied. "He's too cowardly to come after me with you waiting. Whatever value Kanna and I had to him ended as soon as you intervened, or else he wouldn't have had tried to have us kill ourselves."

"Perhaps," was his whole response. I looked up at his face, he was deep in thought. The sun was on his face, the wind whipping through his hair. I looked away. Maybe he wasn't as much of a pest or annoyance as I had first thought he was. Not to mention as ugly, although he was in bad need of a haircut and a manner lesson. I shook off the thought.

I put my head on my hand as I waited for him to terminate the conversation. Instead, I felt my hair rapidly fall out of my bun and out of the hair tie as well. I turned around in surprise as my hair whipped around my face.

"You will start to wear your hair down, witch." Sesshomaru said to my face. I scoffed in his.

"No way in hell, puppy." I responded. His eyes flickered severely.

"Naraku may not come after you being held prisoner but he will come if he hears that I intend to take you as mine." He explained in a tone that warned me not to argue. I ignored the warning.

"No thanks. There is no way I'm going to pose as your fiancée! Any deal we have is off!" I hissed furiously. Damn dog! If those were his conditions, I'd take my chances with running from Naraku. At least then I'd have a nice quick death instead of suffering through dealing with an arrogant puppy with a monotone and no personality at all!

"Do not worry, witch." He responded. "This Sesshomaru would never take a lesser demon as a mate. As soon as Naraku is dead you may leave." A lesser demon? My teeth ground together in fury. How dare he mock me like that! If I had to deal with him until Naraku came to his death, I wasn't about to tame my attitude for him!

I smirked. That was it. If he wanted to me to act like I was promised to him, then he would get all of me, right down to the sharp tongue and waves of sarcasm that were filled with disloyalty. All I had to do was wait for him to get tired of it and decide that going after Naraku was a lot less effort than dealing with me. I might not be in any position to break the deal but he was and it wouldn't hurt anyone if I decided to use him just a little bit more. I let myself relax and sink into his chest again, snuggling until I was comfortable.

"Fine, puppy." I responded. "I'll act like yours for as long as Naraku is alive or you come up with a better idea." I just hope you know what you're getting into, I added in my mind as I started to plot. And good luck.

**a/n**: I hope everyone liked. I love doing Jaken! He's so loyal to Sesshomaru but yet can get so annoying about it. Don't forget to review! You know you want to.... Oh, and sorry for the semi-cliffy. I've gotten to the point where I can't even end a silly chapter without one :(


	4. Annoying Brats and Cold Dogs

_A/N:_ Hi! Here's another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews and I hope everyone had a good Turkey Day. Enjoy the chapter.

Freedom's Will

Chapter 4

Annoying Brats and Cold Puppies

The sky was almost jet black as we finally landed in front of the castle that reportedly belonged to the puppy. I was tired and bored. Plotting can only last so long when you don't know a whole lot about the person you were plotting about. If I wanted to really get on his nerves, I needed to know his weaknesses, the little things that drove him crazy. I could already tell one of his weak points was his ego and what was to be expected of him in life but what little else bugged him, I didn't know. My plans were a tad evil but I didn't know to what degree they would annoy him to, to not fazing him at all to making him throw me out without hesitation.

To my relief, I had been allowed to stay on my feather the rest of the way while Puppy had decided to move to the dragon's back. The winds around me had quieted almost the instant he left me alone, which I blamed on my annoyance at him. The castle had come into view almost an hour after he had left me, while I was on the dregs of my planning, the old stinky ideas that I had. The sun was setting behind us and my first thoughts of the place could be summed up into a single word, wow. It was made out of gray, normal stones with wooden panels but it took up almost an acre by itself. An outer gate surrounded it, making me think they often had unwelcome visitors who laid siege to the doggy brothers. It gave me some other thoughts of how to use my attitude against him, teasing or mentioning some lost war to the arrogant puppy. A darkened forest lay beyond a small clearing surrounding the gates.

I knew many a demoness who would have fainted or swooned at the sight of such a rich and prosperous place. I just eyed it and looked for an escape route, just in case. If all my plans to annoy the puppy failed, I wanted a way to escape from him. It looked as though I could sneak out the gates and flee into the forest, losing myself in the thick foliage. The wind could then disperse my scent, making it impossible for the puppy to follow. And then all I would have to do is stay out of both Sesshomaru and Naraku's paths.

When we landed, it was in front of some stables lighted by lamps and moonlight. A stable hand rushed out to take the reins from Jaken who slid rapidly off the two-headed dragon. From his appearances, the stable hand was likewise a dog demon. Just as long as it didn't rain, I'd be fine, I thought as I slipped my feather into my obi, now that my hair was still free, for now. I hated the smell of wet dog about as much as having my hair down. As soon as I found a hair tie, it would be back into its normal position, no matter what puppy said. My hair would not flow free until I was as free as the wind.

"Took you long enough," Inuyasha's voice floated down from the rafters. Instants later he landed on the ground next to his brother. "Would it kill you to actually travel like everyone else for once?" He asked. The puppy stalked past him. "Hey, idiot, I was talking to you!" Inuyasha called to him before he disappeared. It didn't seem to sit well with the half-demon for he hit the wall shortly after. I smirked before walking past him, following the puppy. But before I could, a priestess literally popped out in front of me.

"You must be Kagura," she bubbled. I eyed her clothes, which were not entirely proper for a priestess. She wore a shirt that barely covered her mid-drift and a skirt, I believe they were called, that stopped a few inches above her knees. The only reason I knew she was a priestess was the spiritual energy she cast off in waves. "I'm Kagome," she continued to bubble. "If you need anything, I'll be happy to help."

"Whatever you say," I replied before walking away to hide a grimace. Something told me that she would be overly helpful in every possible way. At least if I had anything I wished to get off my chest, I could go speak to her. Not that I thought I'd be here long enough to get to know anyone. Kagome appeared beside me.

"Um, I should probably lead you to your rooms. Sesshomaru's not the friendliest person you'll ever meet and no one's really helpful at this time of day, especially when the Ice Prince returns with what he sees as a failure." She explained. I eyed her before allowing a smile to cross my lips.

"The puppy is rather uptight. Maybe a good game of fetch would do him good." I grinned. Her eyes grew wide.

"Fetch? With Sesshomaru?" she began to giggle. "I don't think he'd let you do that. Inuyasha hates it when I pet his ears or start to treat him like a dog. I can't imagine how Sesshomaru would act." I was surprised that Inuyasha let anyone treat him like that either. He was rather grumpy, from all my impressions of him.

"You must be close to Inuyasha," I murmured. She looked surprised before she nodded.

"I've been trying to convince him to take me as a mate for a while now. He's a big softy when you get down to it. He just acts tough to scare everyone off because he's a half-demon." She shrugged. "Okay, you're down this way." The corridor changed directions, leading down a hall with two or three sliding doors. The first one on the left she slid open for me. I swiftly walked inside.

The room was cold, both in temperature and mood, when I walked in. The walls were a simple white with red flowers in the corners, making them look like tiny spiders watching from above. A single window sat in the front of the room and a flat mat lay beside it. Two tables lined the walls, along with another sliding door on the right side. I grimaced.

"Comfy," I growled. Kagome shrugged.

"Sesshomaru never bothered to have it decorated. I guess he didn't ever think on having a mate that he actually cared enough about that her room was cozy enough to stay in. If you want, I'd be happy to help you set it up a little better. I'm sure he won't mind." I laughed bitterly.

"Don't worry about it. I won't be here long enough to care anyways." My words made Kagome look at me weird but she didn't press for an explanation. I probably wouldn't have bothered to tell her anyways. My plans were mine and mine only. I didn't even hear her as she left, sliding the outer door behind me. I walked over to the window, watching the wind gently shake the trees outside. To be free, free as the wind was almost a dream, at this point. But I would have my freedom soon, I thought as I sank into the mat.

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"Wake up, Kagura," Kanna's voice chided. My eyes slowly opened to her dark eyes and face illuminated by the moon. She stood on the edge of my mat, face expressionless. I frowned. Something was wrong with this, something indeed. Kanna was dead; I had held her scorched and lifeless body in my hands. I sat up.

"Are you supposed to be dead?" I asked her. She didn't respond, just smiled.

"Naraku wants to see you, Kagura." She toned. I cocked my head sideways and ran a hand through my hair, which was now in a messy bun. This had to be a dream, brought on by the stress from the day. I laughed at her.

"Good night, Kanna. I'm not going to let you haunt me, too. You're dead so leave me the hell alone," I snapped before lying back down and closing my eyes.

"Naraku wants to see you." Kanna repeated. I ignored her. The dead couldn't affect the living. "Kagura, you must wake up." I scoffed. Move along already, mind, I whispered and opened my eyes. Kanna still stood there but now she seemed to be getting impatient. An instant later, a knife dropped from her hand, landing with a _thung_ as it embedded itself into the mat. I whipped up and pulled at it, expecting it to disappear. Instead, it was as hard as I real knife. A sharp edged cut in the handle ripped at my skin when I touched it, drawing blood. I recoiled and stared at the blood running down my palm. Either this was a really bad dream or I was crazy or it was real. I looked back at Kanna.

"Come," she whispered and walked out of the room. I frowned and followed her slowly. I was unsure of what to do. If this was real, she was leading me right to Naraku. But how could it be real, Kanna had died. I held on to this thought as I followed my perished sister through the castle and out of the gates, into the forest. Somehow all the guards missed us, further instilling the thought that this was nothing but a dream.

Kanna led me deep into the trees, into a dark enough area that the only reason I saw her was from her pure white dress that stood out in the darkness. I very much hoped that this was nothing more than a very real feeling dream. If it wasn't, well, I didn't want to think about if it wasn't. It was too dark to see if anything was going to pop out at me. My hand reached out for my fan, for a hint of comfort and with a chill, I realized I had left it in my room. If I was surprised or attacked, I would be screwed.

"So she came," an eerily familiar voice said from the darkness. I stiffened and reached for the fan that wasn't there. Another white form appeared in my vision, the height of it no more than a child.

"Hakudoshi," I confirmed my suspicions. He laughed cruelly. Just the last person I wanted to see, other than Naraku himself. Hakudoshi was Naraku's younger brother and a hundred times more hating towards me. I had found out a while back that he was plotting against his brother, planning to kill him as soon as possible and to take Kanna as a bride. Ever since I had found out, he had been trying to get rid of me, for fear of that I would tell his brother of his plans. He had never understood that I was all for getting rid of the bastard, as soon as possible.

"Hello, Kagura," he chuckled. "Naraku's quite upset with you. Allowing the enemy to capture you without a struggle and letting Kanna die like that. But he's willing to forgive you. I've been sent to fetch you, alive, whether you're willing to come or not." I scoffed.

"I'm surprised you haven't killed me already and said that the enemy did it." I shot back. He sighed and lofted his spear in the dark, my vision only seeing it shine the moon's reflection as it waved back and forth.

"I wish I could, but he sent brother to watch me. How else do you think we were able to bring back Kanna?" he groaned. As soon as he uttered the words, the doll of Kanna vanished. I faintly saw a floating eye appear next to Hakudoshi. I grimaced.

"I'm not going to come back to Naraku willingly, you know," I spat at him. He grinned and brought his spear to rest dangerously close to my throat.

"That's why I offered to come. It was always fun beating on you, especially when you forgot your fan. I'm only sorry that you'll have to serve as a replacement for Kanna." He smirked at the last part. My eyes narrowed at his words. I had a feeling that the last sentence was two-sided in its meaning. After all, he couldn't let Naraku know his plans for fear of being killed. I hissed at him before using my wind control, the little that I had, to propel myself up into the nearest tree and starting to climb up the branches. I heard the little bastard curse beneath me before the tree shook as he started to give chase.

It took me a few minutes to reach the top branches and him only a few moments to catch up to me. His face was illuminated by the moon as he laughed at catching me.

"Did someone forget her fan?" he mocked before swinging his blade at my chest. I barely avoided it.

"Did someone forget his orders?" I snapped back before avoiding another slice. He growled.

"No, you just have to survive this encounter. Naraku never mentioned anything about maiming." I snarled and, looking at the ground below, jumped from the branches. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do in the situation, but I couldn't think of anything else. If I was lucky, the wind would cushion my fall and if not, well, Hakudoshi wouldn't have to worry about capturing me because I probably would be in too much pain to resist. A few branches snapped below me as I fell, slightly breaking my fall. I had a feeling this would still hurt, though.

Seconds before I hit the ground, though, something caught me, breaking my fall before waiting a few seconds to drop me onto the ground. I saw a flash of white go into the tree as I hit. What the hell, I thought. Who the hell had saved me? My question was answered shortly as Sesshomaru jumped out of the tree a few seconds later.

"He escaped," he informed me before scooping me up and starting to carry me away. I struggled until he let me go to drop once again to the ground.

"I can walk by myself, bastard." I screamed at him. He grunted and glared down at me. I rose with a scowl. "And I could have handled that brat by myself, too. I never asked for any help. Especially from an annoying little puppy who thinks he can just make me do whatever he wants."

"I'm not here to worry about your pride, witch." He growled. "I'm not going to let Naraku recapture you just so you can prove that you can't handle your problems." He eyes shone in the moonlight. It looked like I had hit a soft spot. I scoffed.

"I handled myself just fine without you, puppy, and I can handle them fine still, now." I felt myself get pushed into a tree or maybe a stone. Sesshomaru towered over me, eyes a touch red. I smirked.

"You were under Naraku's control before I came. The least you can do is thank me for helping you solve your problems, not tell me that you were just fine." He hissed.

"You may have helped me escape Naraku but you also placed me under your control. Escaping one type of slavery to be put in another doesn't make any difference at all!" I snapped in his face and tried to push him away. He didn't budge an inch.

"You agreed to this, witch. You have no right to question it. I doubt with Naraku living you would have been free even this long."

"Yeah, I agreed to it because it was better than death. And at least then I would have been free, for however short it would have been."

His eyes narrowed but he pushed away, freeing me from the obstruction. His hair swayed like angry snakes as he stalked away, into the castle gates. I glared before following him.

When I reached my room, I slammed the door, shaking the fancy screens on them. I could hear him next door, in the other room, just as angry. I could have cared less. The blade still stuck in the mat. I ripped it out and flung it into the screen between our rooms. It slid down slightly before catching on something and hanging there lazily. I turned over on the mat so I wouldn't have to see it.

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The sun woke me early the next morning. My eyes fluttered open and peered to the screen between the two rooms. Had I actually been dreaming the night before? The hole in the screen still gaped there but the blade, to my horror, was gone. In its place, a few daises, one of my favorite flowers lay, Kanna's mirror hanging from it. A message was scribbled on the mirror. I slid out of the mat to look at it. As I got closer, my stomach danced as I realized the message was written in blood.

_Kagura_, it said,_ be happy your little pet saved you this time. Next time you might not be so lucky. You know Naraku will not give up and nor shall I. I'm surprised this castle has stood so long with such pitiful protection; the guards are quite bad and messy to kill. Enjoy the flowers until I see you again and I hope you'll have your fan the next time we met, it's much more entertaining that way._

_Hakudoshi_

I stared at the message before throwing the mirror at the nearest wall and dropping the flowers out the window, noticing the bloodstained walls below as I did. My fan went into my obi almost seconds later.

A/N: Creepy little brat. I hope everyone enjoyed and don't forget to review. You know you want to!


	5. A Game of Hide and Fetch

_A/N:_ Okay! Here's the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really, really appreciate it. (Really) I hope everyone likes.

_Disclaimer:_ If I owned Inuyasha, Naraku would be dead before he was introduced.

Freedom's Will

Chapter 5

A Game of Hide and Fetch

I sat on the mat for a few minutes afterwards. How had the little bastard gotten so close to me? Sesshomaru was supposed to be sleeping the next room so how had he not been caught or even scented. Hadn't he at least smelled the blood when Hakudoshi had killed the guards? If he hadn't, the stupid dog was completely worthless. As for the little brat, if had been in my room why just leave like that? I had been asleep so it's not like I would have put up a very good struggle.

My head slumped down into my hands. This whole situation just was messed up as a whole. I wondered if Sesshomaru had even begun his stupid rumors or if Naraku had just decided to try and get me back for the hell of it. I had a feeling that I'd see more of his brothers than himself in the future days. But the real question was what the puppy would do if Naraku never came after me. Would he really carry out what he said or would he simply let me go? He'd better do the second option. He might just be killed if he didn't, probably by me.

"Did you have a good night?" I jumped, heart racing. Kagome stood by the door, which I hadn't heard slide open. My heart began to slow back down.

"Did you ever learn to knock?" I snapped angrily. Her eyes widened.

"Sorry if I scared you." She murmured. "I guess everyone's a bit on edge with the killings and all." I stared at her.

"Someone killed the guards out by the gate on this side, huh?" I half-inquired, shaky. Kagome nodded, her eyes even more wide.

"Sesshomaru only let it slip that two dog-demons were killed, at least to everyone but Inuyasha. How did you find out? Inuyasha said that Sesshomaru was doing everything to make sure none found out, especially you." She whispered. I motioned to the shattered mirror below the wall.

"The annoying brat left me a message with their blood." I explained, bitter. Kagome walked over to the ripped screen and stared down at the bloody mirror shards.

"Annoying brat?" she repeated. "You know who did this?" I laughed.

"Yeah," I growled. "He's Naraku's brother. I've gotten to know him way too much."

"Naraku's brother? He was able to get through all my barriers, without me even noticing. I can't be sure but I think that even Sesshomaru is worried. It's hard to tell with his mask, though." She said, in a very serious tone.

"Byakuya probably tricked you with an illusion." I told her. "He's getting way too good with those, now a days."

"You should probably tell Inuyasha, or Sesshomaru, more," Kagome advised me. "In any case, Sesshomaru seems to be trying to distract you. He's having some nobles over tonight and he demands that you come. He's having a seamstress come over in a few minutes to fit you for a new kimono." I grimaced.

"My kimono is just fine. If he thinks I'm going to come when he orders, he's crazy. I'm not one of his doggy servants to order around. Tell him I'm not going tonight." I replied. Kagome sighed.

"You know he's going to force you. No one says not to him and gets away with it." I scoffed.

"There's always a first for everything. I'll hide from him, if need be. Is there a study or library around here?" Kagome nodded.

"It's down the hall and to the right. Are you going to hide in there or something?" she asked, sounding confused.

"It's more entertaining and mature than hiding in a closet. Besides, it would be the last place puppy-face would look for me." I sarcastically shot back. Kagome smiled.

"I guess it would. Do you want a servant's kimono to hide in? If you cover your face in a book, he definitely won't find you." She giggled. I pursed my lips.

"As long as you can get it to me quickly," I replied. She giggled again and reached behind the open sliding door.

"I had a feeling that you'd want to hide from the nobles," she explained, withdrawing a folded white kimono and handing it to me. "Give me the kimono you're wearing and I'll hide it in the wash." I grinned at her and quickly traded.

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I selected a thick book on the history of the castle, as I tossed my hair, which was now braided, off my shoulder. The study was quiet and large, a perfect place to hide in. I just dared the puppy to try and find me now. I had easily dispersed my scent around the castle, leaving thousands of dead ends for him to try and follow and I had rubbed dirt and grime on myself after changing, masking my scent. If anything, my real trail was one of the faintest trails I had made.

I cracked open the book and looked to the content page, looking for any sieges of the castle. With any luck, a book in here would supply me with enough information to annoying the puppy to the point of throwing me out and tracking down Naraku himself. A loss in a war should do it, I thought. I scanned the page before finding what I needed: _Successful Sieges…pg. 198._ My hand flipped through the pages quickly before finding 198 and I walked over to chair and sat down, beginning to devour the words.

The next few hours passed like a gentle breeze as I slowly finished the section, looking for any ammo to use against the dog. Unfortunately, all the successful sieges of the castle weren't anywhere near Sesshomaru's time of ruling. All the sieges the puppy had dealt with were quickly and ruthlessly crushed against the walls. It made me grind my teeth. None of the opponents who had attacked had been weak, either. Every one of them I had heard of as well as of their mighty strength.

I slammed the book shut and walked over to the shelves, selecting yet another promising book. There had to be one account of Sesshomaru losing a battle, something at all. I didn't care if it had been tiny, as long as it had served as a wound to the ego that I could pour lemon juice on. I flipped to the contents.

"That book isn't a good book to read." A minute voice suddenly cried out. The book almost slipped from my hands. Shit, had I been caught? I looked around until I saw the owner of the book. I could have died from relief. A young girl sat in the chair I had just sat in, watching me curiously. She wore an orange kimono and had jet black hair with cure brown eyes. "Rin likes the ones with pictures better." She added.

"Who are you?" I asked, suspicious. She giggled.

"I'm Rin. Shouldn't you know that? I thought Jaken had everyone looking out for me always. Lord Sesshomaru always hits him when he loses me." She bubbled.

"Why does Sesshomaru have the imp watch you?" She frowned at me.

"I'm his daughter. You aren't a servant, are you?" she inquired. I stared at her. How could she be Sesshomaru's daughter? She looked and smelled human. Weren't the humans below Sesshomaru? In any case, this girl was good at picking things up.

"No, I'm hiding from the puppy." I replied, eying her with suspicion. "You wouldn't tell him I'm here, would you?" She smiled at me.

"Not if you don't tell him I'm here. I'm not supposed to be in here without Jaken to watch me. You must be the wind witch that Lord Sesshomaru captured. I heard Jaken ranting about how Lord Sesshomaru should kill you for not listening to him and making everyone look for you." She replied. I beamed at her. I liked this kid already. She must have not picked up the puppy's attitude with his adoption of her. He had to have adopted her because she was definitely not a demon.

"I bet Puppy is mad with me, huh." I asked happily. Rin shrugged.

"Lord Sesshomaru seemed more worried than mad. But he moved all your stuff into his room." I blanched. Stupid, arrogant, annoying, insensitive dog! What the hell did he think he was doing? I didn't want to think of the things associated with that move.

"I hope the books are comfortable to sleep on, then." I snapped. Rin laughed.

"You could sleep in Rin's room, if you want. I'll sleep with Lord Sesshomaru. It will be like when I get nightmares." She told me. I frowned. As if Sesshomaru would let her do that. But if she did go to him with nightmares, she must have been able to get under his skin, in a good way. If worst came to worst, maybe I could use Rin to escape. I'd keep the thought in mind.

"Maybe Lord Sesshomaru is making you move in with him because he's scared you'll have nightmares." Rin chirped. Memories of the night before filled my vision. I shook them away with a shiver. "Or maybe he's having nightmares and wants someone to feel safe with." I stared at her.

"Heh, I doubt that." I told her confidently.

"But Lord Sesshomaru told Rin that he was going to marry you." She replied. "Why would he do that if you didn't make him feel safe?" I laughed in shock.

"He's just pretending, Rin. He wants to kill my cousin and is telling everyone he's going to marry me to draw him in." She bit her lip.

"Lord Sesshomaru never lies to Rin." She cried. I held back my reply. I'd rather not have a crying kid on my hands, especially if she'd probably run right to the puppy.

"Fine, I believe you." I replied, in a tired way. She got up and hugged my legs. I sighed.

"Rin? Rin?" the imp's voice floated through the study. The girl looked up at me and frowned.

"There's Jaken," she said. "You should hide before he sees you. He'll tell Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you for reading to Rin." I closed the picture book on my lap and nodded. Rin slid off the chair and walked away. I stalked over to the book shelves and hid in the darker space between them. I could see the door from there but still stay hidden.

The imp waited for Rin impatiently, tapping his staff on the ground. Rin skipped over to him and giggled.

"You silly girl! You shouldn't run off like that. If anything should happen to you Lord Sesshomaru would have my head!" Jaken cried. "As it is, milord is very displeased that I lost you, even for a brief moment." Rin bowed her head, still smiling.

"You shouldn't have worried, Master Jaken. I was just fine." She told him. He gasped.

"I wasn't worried about you! I was worried for myself. Lord Sesshomaru is annoyed enough with the witch disobeying his orders and hiding without adding any more annoyance to it. He had to cancel his plans for tonight due to her." Jaken shivered. "I'd hate to be the witch when Lord Sesshomaru finds her."

"Jaken," Sesshomaru's cool voice floated through the doorway. I shifted closer to the bookshelves. "I trust you found Rin." Jaken laughed nervously.

"But of course, milord." He answered, seconds before the puppy walked in. Rin bowed her head, suddenly looking ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru." She told him. He glanced at her before his gaze swept the study.

"You saw Kagura," he stated. Rin looked at him, frowning, but didn't answer. Damn it, I thought. My scent would be all over the girl now that she had sat with me for almost the whole day. How could I have been so stupid? I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall angrily. When I opened them, Sesshomaru stood in front of me, face blank. Rin and Jaken quickly edging their way out of the room, probably thinking that they should book it before the sparks flew.

"I gave you orders to attend tonight," he said emotionlessly. Even though I was annoyed and half-way scared out of my mind at his anger, I managed to scoff.

"And I'm not yours to order around," I snapped back. "I'll decide whether or not I want to come, not you!" He towered over me and I glared, hand moving to my tucked away fan, just in case.

"If I allow you what you decide to do, Naraku will have you within minutes. This Sesshomaru shall not allow this to happen."

"I can take care of myself, you bastard! I'm not so stupid to fall into his traps." I hissed. He didn't answer. "Besides, your pretend protection isn't all that great. Hakudoshi was able to get into my room last night to leave me a note and flowers."

"Fool," he breathed before turning around and walking away. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Hey, get your fluffy ass back here! I'm not done!" I shouted at his back. He didn't stop walking. I hissed in anger and shoved the book shelf next to me. It abruptly fell over, scattering books everywhere. Sesshomaru disappeared from sight. He wasn't getting away that easily. I stalked after him. But before I could catch up, the door to the study slammed shut and heard the knob rattle. I pulled at it but found it locked. Had that damn dog really just locked me in here?

A loud cry rattled through the walls, a cry of anguish and pain in the worst kind of way. It made me shiver just hearing it, in two ways. Hakudoshi was the only one I knew who could make someone make that noise. I pulled away from the door and whipped out my fan. Wind collected around it instantly. I watched the door in expectation. Everything went silent and then, the knob rattled again. A few minutes passed in silence. The pause was killing me so I yanked and the door. It flew open, sending me back. I landed on my butt and skidded back a foot or two. The hallway was empty.

I grabbed my fan from the ground and walked outside, watching all around me, expecting an attack at any moment. I walked a few steps before finding a pool of blood spreading out from underneath a sliding door. My hand reached out and, trembling, pulled back the door. The stable hand from the previous day lay on the ground; face down, with Hakudoshi standing above him. He grinned at me.

"It took you long enough, Kagura."

_A/N:_ The ending is a little weird. Hmmm. I hope everyone liked it. Don't forget to review… you know you want to….


	6. Difference between Death and Illusion

_A/N_: Hi! Thank you everyone for the reviews(Finally hit 20!!!!!)! Here's the next chapter! Sorry about the cliffy in the last chapter. Say you'll forgive me, I know it was cruel. And now, it's time for everything to go topsy-turvy(You'll understand later…). Enjoy!

_Disclaimer_: I don't own Inuyasha, if I did, Kagome wouldn't shout "Inuyasha" every two seconds.

Freedom's Will

Chapter 6

The Difference Between Death and Illusions

"If you hadn't locked me in the study, I would have been here sooner." I spat at him. He grinned cruelly.

"And why would I lock you in?" I glared and looked down at the bloody corpse. Hakudoshi's spear was stuck in the ground next to it, blood casually dripping down the blade.

"Was killing the stable hand necessary?" I asked and opened my fan, getting ready to attack. He shrugged.

"It was more entertaining than waiting for you show up. You probably would have run if I hadn't." He mocked.

"I would never run from a brat like you. Are you going to attack already or are you waiting for me to do that, too?" I hissed, ready to slice the pain in the butt in half. He laughed.

"If I was, you'd be hurt already. Naraku sent me to tell you that you can run away from your pet. He's decided you're not worth the effort to track down. You'd probably try to murder him in his sleep if he finally did catch you, anyways." He bitterly said. I eyed him in suspicion. Was this nothing but a trick Naraku had made? Why would he go through all the effort of keeping me in his clutches only to give up now? Something smelled rotten and it wasn't the corpse.

"Why, so he has an easier time tracking me down? Ha! You can tell Naraku his manipulating isn't going to work. I'm not that stupid, whatever he thinks." I snapped at Hakudoshi. "If he really didn't care about what I did, you would have killed me by now. Don't even try to deny it, brat, I know you all too well." He sighed and picked up his spear.

"Believe whatever you want, Kagu. It's not going to matter in the long shot. Just don't come after me, I might not be able to resist the temptation, then." He said before walking out past me. I turned with him, ready for a surprise attack. He didn't even turn around before walking into the hall, spear slung over one shoulder. A white blur appeared behind him, seconds before he fell to the ground, a hole in his shoulder.

The blur solidified into Sesshomaru. I gaped at the dog demon before rushing over to Hakudoshi. A pool of blood already formed around him. I shut my fan quickly and began to rip my kimono, trying to keep in the blood. I couldn't say why I was doing it, but something just urged me to help. While I hated the little brat, I couldn't just leave him to die in front of me, not when he hadn't even had a chance to react.

"Leave him, witch," Sesshomaru ordered behind me. I ignored the puppy and continued, now re-opening my fan and blowing the wind harshly on the wounds, hoping to close them before he bled to death. Something slashed through the winds before they reached the wounds. I stared at Sesshomaru in surprise, a sword in one hand which had quickly slashed through my winds. I didn't bother reforming them.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screamed at the puppy. "He deserves to die better than this." He scoffed but didn't say anything. I glared before reforming my winds. I dared him to cut through them again. He did, but not before he also cut my fan in two.

"You will listen to me," he said and walked away. I threw the broken fan pieces at his back, hitting him straight on. "Clean up this mess," was all he added before he was gone. I punched at the ground, hissing in anger. I turned my attention back to Hakudoshi. He was already dead. Stupid dog! How could he just do that? Maybe Hakudoshi had killed three of his followers but that didn't mean he shouldn't have had a chance to fight back instead of being stabbed in the back. It was something that Naraku would have done to an enemy and it made me sick.

I stood up and took out a feather. I was getting out of here. I didn't care if Naraku was out there waiting for me to fall into his trap or not, I wasn't spending another minute in this place. I'd be damned if I was going to listen to the puppy another minute or deal with him. I was in the sky, rocketing out of that place before the thought even finished.

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_Byakuya's PoV_

I watched my cousin leave with a small smile, even if the whole thing was in my illusion. If I knew her, the bitter thoughts would remain even after I allowed her to wake from it, making her leave in real life too. She probably wouldn't even notice the fact that Hakudoshi had never been killed until she was well in between Naraku's clutches, as she should be. I was surprised that she had been foolish enough to disobey him in the first place but I supposed that it was all due to the fact she was a wind demon. They always were the worst type to deal with, especially if you needed them to stay put for a reason. They should have been re-named wandering demons a long time ago.

As for the dog demon, he was an issue that I'd rather not fix or get near to, at the moment. Somehow, he had escaped from entering the illusion I had tried to set on the two of them while they were arguing in the study. It had seemed that one of the swords at his hip had saved him but I wasn't going to get close enough to test that theory. In any case, it made matters all that more difficult. I had originally planned to have him stay in the illusion while Kagura fled his clutches in the night and let him wake convinced that chasing after her would do nothing, leaving Kagura to run into Naraku's grasp without Sesshomaru interfering. But now, Kagura would have to find some way to escape him while he kept a steady eye on her to make sure that Naraku wasn't trying to lure her away. The annoying man would probably try to convince her that she had been in an illusion and nothing she had seen had been real. I'd have to distract him in some way to insure that didn't occur.

At the present moment, the bothersome dog hadn't left Kagura's side since she had collapsed in a faint in front of him during their argument. I had almost let the argument go on, it had been most entertaining to watch but I had a feeling that Sesshomaru would have detected me had I not. The two of them were just like a cat and dog thrown into a room with the cat wet. Of course, it didn't help matters that she was very cat-like, with her independent personality and how she somehow always got back to following orders when she felt like it, and that he was literally a dog. In any case, I hadn't expected that the illusion would fail, or if it did, that the dog would calm scoop her up and set her on the bed, only to keep a tight watch on her, never leaving her out of eyesight. And to make matters worse for me, he knew that I was watching and every time I even got close, knew exactly where to attack, even though I was masking myself in an illusion.

If this went on any longer, I might have to show myself long enough to fight Sesshomaru just so Kagura would have time to escape him. That was, unless I could distract him in some other way. Maybe I could do siege on the castle or an illusion of Naraku turning himself in. But the younger brother, the half-demon could take care of both without Sesshomaru having to move anywhere. I wouldn't even put it past the dog to stay where he was or bring Kagura with him where ever he was if he was needed to command in anything. The matter was thoroughly frustrating. Perhaps I could whip the dear wind witch into enough of a temper that even Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to prevent her from leaving…. A miniature smile came to my lips. That just might work. I blew a few flower petals from between my fingers, letting them drift on the wind where I knew part of Kagura lingered.

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_Kagura's PoV_

I drifted along the wind as rapidly as I could, ignoring everything around me as I fled from the dog. My scent filled the wind which whipped around in the world in every direction, masking where I truly was. It was the only way I knew to hide from the dog that could probably follow every path I flung at him, not matter how old it was. The work was exhausting. I would need to land and settle down soon or I would probably fall from the sky in a faint.

I noticed steam rising from a forest ahead, a few minutes later. It signaled a hot spring, something that would be appreciated right about then. My feather drifted lower and lower before I landed in the forest a few meters away from where the steam rose. I walked the few meter and found my guess to be right, a hot springs sat bubbling as water ran down the rocks. I could have died right then and been happy.

It took me a few minutes to strip and I quickly entered the warm water. My eyes closed. If only his moment could last forever, I thought wistfully. I slowly sunk down into the water before my eyes reopen to the stars above. They were so beautiful, so free and peaceful. They were lucky. Their freedom had never been just a fleeting dream that was crushed as soon as it was thought of. Somehow, mine always seemed to be. First I had dreamed it with Naraku, who had promised freedom if I cooperated with him, then Sesshomaru, who had given me freedom for a night and then no more. If they both died, I wouldn't care. Stupid nobles must think of no one but themselves and how they can use others to achieve something better for them. It did seem a bit hypocritical of me to think that, but when I used someone, it didn't trap them into following me. I knew what that felt like all too much to enforce that on another to do that to them.

The worst thing about it all is that I had thought Sesshomaru would be true to his word and was nothing like Naraku in any way. I guess I wasn't a great judge of character, though. I had known Naraku probably wouldn't be true to his word but I had still trusted his word. I had been younger then and more trusting but I still don't know why I had ever agreed anything to him. I plucked a rock from the ground around the springs and threw it. It had been the biggest mistake in my life. I could have had my freedom right then and there and left Kanna to solve it however she wanted but I hadn't. And from then on, I had promised myself it would never happen again; I would never put my trust in the wrong person again. At least I had found out about Sesshomaru and left in time. It was more than I deserved.

Something hard hit the back of my head and, before I knew what was happening, everything went black.

When my eyes opened back up, I was back in the cold room in the dog's castle. Bars had been put on the window and the doors now weren't made of screens but cold hard iron. My temper rose and I began to pound on the walls. Silence greeted me with open arms.

_A/N:_ I hope everyone understands what I meant by topsy-turvy. I'm just bummed no one picked up on my hint of the whole weird thing at the end of the chapter. Oh well. I hope everyone enjoyed. Please review 'cause you know you want to…(as always)


	7. This is Why I Hate Waking Up

_A/N_: Thank you everyone for the reviews. I'm sorry about the POV confusion in the last chapter. I thought I had them separated but obviously they weren't. Anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter and my formatting will be better this time…I hope.

Freedom's Will

Chapter 7

This is Why I Hate Waking Up

It took me a few minutes for me to realize my pounding wasn't doing anything, anything at all. I was stuck in the tiny room that was my prison. Stuck and restricted and put here by the one who was supposed to be helping me, in a roundabout way. I didn't care if he needed me as bait anymore or not.

This was not going to work. I hoped the puppy liked to swim because the next time he did, I was drowning him. That or blow him dry hard enough that it killed him. That was, unless he let me go immediately. How the hell had the puppy even found me? He must have been following me. The sick bastard probably had watched me get undressed, too!

I growled in my throat and picked up one of the tables, throwing it at the window with all my strength. It clanged against the metal before thudding to the floor. I glared at it before sitting down on the mat. I started to glower. The dog was dead, that was for sure.

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_Byakuya's PoV_

I smiled softly to myself as I watched Kagura vainly trying to escape her prison. Oh yes, she was quite mad. Sesshomaru had a wicked surprise waiting when I finally released her. He'd better hope that she didn't have her fan on her or he might have nice little problem on his hands. Maybe she'd even save Naraku and myself some problems and eliminate him. Either way, I had no doubt she would run, with his permission or not. Hopefully, it would be without. It would be a nice catfight to watch.

I drifted to the window of the dog's bedroom and peered in. If he was close enough, I might just go ahead and wake Sleeping Beauty to ravage him. To my surprise, Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight and Kagura still lay on the bed, a non-peaceful expression on her face. I crossed my arms. Well, there was no reason not to wake her, now.

"Are you Byakuya?" a cold voice asked from behind me. My eyes widened and I turned around in shock. Sesshomaru floated behind me, one hand on one of his two swords. I shivered and quickly replaced my current self with a flower, appearing a few meters away, out of his vision, before he even noticed. I animated the flower-self and responded.

"How smart of you to figure that out so quickly, I must say I'm surprised that you haven't figured out where Naraku is hiding from you." I mocked. His expression didn't change.

"I don't waste my time finding where vermin hide." He said.

"So you use my dear cousin, huh. I'd have to say that she is a quite tasty looking piece of cheese but not worth the aggravation. Naraku apparently thinks the same since he hasn't bother to come after her himself." I murmured. "She's too much of a free thinker for him to deal with. Now if you hadn't killed her sister, I have no doubt that Naraku would have come after her. But Kanna probably wouldn't have been as peaceful if you tried to capture her. She might have killed herself before letting you take her." Sesshomaru looked bored.

"Do you really mean to waste my time with small talk?" he asked. I shook the dummy's head.

"Of course not, but I do find it more entertaining than fighting with you. You know, I've heard that you mean to take Kagura as your bride. If I were you, I wouldn't actually try it. You might lose more than one thing in that exchange, especially if she doesn't want to do it. If Naraku didn't have the leverage he did over her, I think she might have killed him by now." I replied. He eyed me curiously.

"What does Naraku want with a mere wind witch?" he asked. "Why go through the struggle of gaining such leverage over her?" I laughed.

"You mistake me. I'm not going to tell you all the trade secrets. My brother would not find that funny in the least. But I'll tell you that what he can gain is worth the risk, in his eyes. He might be re-thinking it, though, with you looming over her like a guard dog." His eyes narrowed at my last comment and I quickly added, "Not that I mean any offense by it, not in the least. I was only speaking figuratively. I'm sure that my dear cousin is giving you many offenses from that topic, knowing her. It's never a good idea to give her any fuel for her sarcastic, shall we say, fire."

"You sound as though you like her. Why then put her in an illusion?" he asked, hand twitching on the handle of his sword. I shrugged.

"I do. She's very entertaining to be with, as I'm sure you've noticed. In any case, she's much better to talk with than Naraku or Hakudoshi, by far. But Naraku ordered to get her back so I'm making an effort so I don't end up on his bad side. It does seem that by doing it, I've ended up on _your_ bad side, however. I have a feeling I'll regret that day's work." I replied.

"You have an interesting sense of things. However, I don't have all day to waste on small talk and watching over the witch." He said thoughtfully before withdrawing his sword and swiftly cutting through my illusion, sending the broken flower swirling down empty air to the castle ground. I took that as my signal to leave and left on my crane. I'm sure he saw as I left but he didn't bother to follow. I figured I'd wait for a little bit before I released Kagura from the illusion, the longer her temper brewed, the better the fireworks would be.

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_Kagura's PoV_

My eyes fluttered open to the sun facing them as it set in the west. I quickly noticed I had changed scenery and I tensed up. Where the hell was the puppy? If he was gone, I was running. If not, well, he could get out of my way or be killed. That was when I felt the arm around my waist and the other one around my shoulders. If that was who I thought it was, they were dead, even if they let me go willingly. My hand automatically went to my fan's hiding spot. My fan wasn't there.

I turned around and found myself, as expected, looking into Sesshomaru's face. He stared at me for a few seconds before undoing his grip and sliding away. My body quickly missed the loss of heat. I sat up and glared at him.

"Where the hell is my fan, you stupid dog?" I spat at him. He looked surprised but didn't answer. Instead, he reached over to the table and picked up something before tossing it to me. It was my fan. I picked it up cautiously. "I'm leaving." I told him. His face didn't change but instants later he sat in front of me.

"That would be a mistake." He said. I laughed in his face.

"Why because you couldn't use me anymore then?" I hissed. My temper was under control at the moment, but just barely. "I'm not letting you control me like Naraku did." His eyes narrowed.

"You were in an illusion created by Byakuya since yesterday." He informed me. I looked at him suspiciously before snickering under my breath.

"Whatever. I'm still leaving," I said to him. He sighed.

"Naraku will be waiting for you to do that. You're not so foolish as to fall into his trap because of false scenes Byakuya showed you." He told me. I stared at him. Was he really trying to deny what he had done? I wasn't going to fall for it. But yet, why would he have tossed me my fan if that was the case? And he wasn't telling me I couldn't leave, just that I shouldn't.

A knock thudded at the screen, interrupting the silence that had filled the room. The stable hand I had seen getting killed opened the door, Rin by his side. She grinned at me, sitting on the bed.

"You're awake," she cried and ran over to the bed before hopping on the bed and hugging me. I stared at Sesshomaru in shock. He watched the exchange expressionlessly. The stable hand looked ashamed.

"I'm sorry, milord. She just wandered in and I thought she shouldn't be wandering around alone." He explained. I stared at him and then at Sesshomaru. Either this was the illusion or Hakudoshi's death was. I didn't really believe that Naraku would just give up on me that easily and I'd rather believe Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru, are you going to have the party tonight, now?" Rin asked. He didn't respond, just stared at me and motioned for the stable hand to leave. He left swiftly.

"Go find Jaken, Rin." He said. I watched as she left, leaving the two of us alone. The door closing was almost ominous.

"I believe you." I told him when she was gone. "Putting me in an illusion sounds like something that bastard would do. But if you killed Byakuya you're dead." I still a soft spot in my heart for Naraku's brother and didn't want him dead because of something his brother ordered. It would be too much of a repeat of Kanna's death. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"He escaped before I could," was all he said. I smirked.

"So the puppy was confused by the little illusion puppet, hmmm. And here I thought that you wouldn't be fooled by any of his trickery. Pity," I mocked.

"I wasn't the one weak enough to fall under his illusion, wind witch." He responded, coldly.

"You might as well have. Any illusion that you believe in you've fallen under." I shot back. "Nice kid, this Rin. What did you do, have her captured for dinner and then decide she was too sweet to eat?" If anything I hoped this would distract him from the subject. It was his fault Byakuya had tricked me at all, if I hadn't been distracted and arguing with him it wouldn't have happened. My coy attempt seemed to work, in a roundabout way.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't think it is any of your business." He toned. So we were back to _this _Sesshomaru, the "high and mighty title". But he did seem to care for the human, a crack that I could easily expand.

"Aww, is the doggy hiding the fact that he actually might have feelings for someone and a lowly human at that?" I asked. His eyes narrowed. I drew upon the knowledge I had read while in my time in the library. While scrounging for information on something that hurt his pride, I had found some ammo that might work in this situation. Apparently, the puppy hated his father in the later years because he had fallen for a human woman. The result of the match had been Inuyasha, who Sesshomaru had just recently forgiven for it. "Or is it because he doesn't want to be compared to his dear old father?" I added. To my joy, his eyes turned the slightest bit red before he turned his back to me.

"How did you find out about that, witch?" he growled. I smirked at his back.

"I do know how to read, puppy," I replied mockingly. "There were some very interesting books in your study." He snarled underneath his breath but I heard it.

"I'm going to go get the seamstress." He told me before stalking out. "Do not be so foolish as to run today." The door slammed shut behind him. I flopped down on the bed. It looked like I had only escaped the nobles so long. This was going to just great, I thought sarcastically.

It took the seamstress only a few moments to show up. Unsurprising enough, she was a dog demon. In her hands were a few kimonos. I eyed them with distaste and surprise. Wasn't she supposed to be measuring me, not giving me junk to put on? She set the kimonos next to me on the bed.

"Milord wants you to try these on, Lady Kagura," she told me. "If none of them fit, I'll need to get your measurements." I stared at the pink and whiteness of the majority of the kimonos. That damn dog was dead if I had to wear any of those. I hated the color pink, even if it was a lighter shade if red and I didn't do well in white.

"Just take my measurements," I told her. "I'm not wearing any of those. You can tell Sesshomaru if he has a problem to come to me with it." She shook her head at me.

"I can't do that. My loyalty is to Milord only and I will be obeying him over you. If you would please strip I will be happy to assist you into any you wish to try on. Many of these are the same size but there a few that are of a different variety." I grimaced and crossed my arms. I had a feeling that this little annoying pup would run straight to Sesshomaru if I didn't. I delayed the dressing though and sorted through the kimonos.

Pink, pink, white, pink, white, white, pink and finally, red. I stopped at the red. It wasn't halfway bad. Light silver feathers dotted the fabric while lavender leaves swirled around them on dark green patterns. As expected, it was heavy kimono and very fancy. But it wasn't half bad. I wouldn't have wanted to wear around, it would have been much too restricting but for a night it would be fine. That was, if it fit.

I placed the red kimono in a separate pile and sorted through the rest of the kimonos. There was no comparison in my eyes to the red kimono. I quickly changed into it, the seamstress trying to help as I pushed her off. To my relief, the kimono fit perfectly. The seamstress went over it with precision, looking at every inch. She seemed happy with how it fit but stopped temporarily to tighten the obi a few inches. I hissed at it became tight around my hips.

"It seems to fit alright, Milady. Allow me to go get Lord Sesshomaru to see if he believes that your attire is proper." The seamstress told me when she finished. She ran out of the room before I could protest. I shoved the pink and white kimonos off their pile on the bed and sat down. I picked at the fabric of the kimono. I hoped that Naraku wouldn't have his brothers try anything tonight. I wouldn't be in any condition to fight any of them in this thing. I reached down to retrieve my fan out of my normal kimono.

"Her attire will do." Sesshomaru's voice came from the door. I sat up suddenly and looked to him and the seamstress standing by the slid open door. "Fetch Yura," He ordered and she ran off. I ignored him and I tucked my fan up my sleeve.

"That kimono suits you." The puppy calmly murmured. I glared at him.

"If Naraku decides to come after me, I won't be able to kill the bastard," I muttered. His expression didn't change.

"I suggest you learn how to take care of yourself in that kimono," he said. "I'll be too busy to protect you." My eyes widened.

"I've never needed your protection!" I hissed at him. He just pulled out my hair tie and stretched it out between his claws.

"You'll wear your hair down tonight." He told me. I rolled my eyes and snatched it back.

"Don't push your luck, puppy." I growled. He half-smiled, the smile never reaching his eyes.

_A/N_: I hope everyone enjoyed! Please Review! You know you want to! Oh, and good news. In celebration of the holidays next week, I will be updating thrice. Once on Monday, once on Wednesday and the last time on Friday! Fun, I think.


	8. Do All Nobles Have Fluff in Their Heads?

_A/N_: Thanks for all the reviews! First update of the week! I hope everyone enjoys!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 8

Do All Nobles Have Fluff in Their Head?

I quickly put my hair back up, glaring at the puppy. His half-smile continued and we sat there, staring at each other for a few minutes. I don't think either of us heard the doors slide open. Or the non-dog demon that walked in, smiling with glee. But I do think that the puppy noticed when the demon began to examine his hair, softly stroking it. In fact, it only took him seconds to make his half-smile disappear.

"Oh, your hair is just so nice, milord!" The demon squealed with joy. I watched with distaste. I hoped that she was here to do his hair, not mine. The puppy turned his back to me.

"Yura," he said coldly, "This is Kagura. Do something with her hair for tonight. If I'm going to be seen with her, she'll have to look appropriate." Yura smiled and looked at me.

"Of course, milord! Do you also want your pretty hair done, too?" she bubbled. I stared holes into the puppy. My hair was just fine as it was. If this demon so much as touched my hair, I was going to give the puppy hell. Apparently he wanted to make a good impression on these nobles, probably in order to gain more power or support. He also probably was telling all of them that "I was to be his" as he phrased it. Perhaps I could embarrass him enough to throw me out of that position.

"Just take care of the witch." Sesshomaru said before walking out of the room. Both Yura and I stared after him before looking at each other.

"Oh, he's quite cold, isn't he?" Yura asked. "But he has such pretty hair. I just love playing with it. You have pretty hair, too, but it's not such a pretty color." She walked over to me. "Do you mind if I take it down?" I thought about it.

"Fine," I said. "But I want it to stay up tonight, no matter what the puppy says." She giggled.

"Trying to aggravate the doggy, hmmm? It's just so fun. I'll just make your hair pretty up." She told me before yanking out my hair tie. My hair fell down around my face. Yura crawled up and sat on the bed behind me. I relaxed as she began to play with my hair.

It took her almost an hour to finish doing my hair. When she was done, she handed me a hand mirror. I stared into in, eyes quickly sweeping over my hair. It looked just fine to me and was done elaborately, all of it swept up to behind my head. A few little pieces of hair drifted down, framing my face gently. Yura smiled at me in the mirror.

"Your hair is quite fun to play with," she laughed. "Not as fun as the doggy's hair, perhaps, but still fun. Do you like it?" I nodded at her, hands sweeping up to feel my hair. It seemed to be tight in its holdings, a relief for me. It wouldn't do for it to be falling out the whole night long.

"Are you done?" Sesshomaru's voice came from the door. He was standing by it calmly. I wondered how long he had been standing there, how much of our conversation he had heard. With any luck, he heard most of. Some of the things I had said would have easily left deep wounds on his pride, wounds that would be hard to heal.

"Oh, yes, milord." Yura said. He motioned for her to leave. She smiled one last time at me before walking out, all her combs and brushes neatly piled in her hands. Sesshomaru didn't even watch her leave, just stared at me. I watched him, unnerved. He waited until long after her footsteps were no longer audible before talking.

"Your hair is still up," he said. I smirked at him.

"You seem disappointed," I mocked back. "Hoping that the hair demon would leave it down or something?" He didn't answer. He just took my hand and began to walk away. I resisted against his pull. He turned to look at me before releasing my hand.

"Come," was all he said before walking away. I waited until he was out of view to walk after him, the kimono weighing me down. Oh yes, if anyone attacked me, I wasn't going to be able to put up more of a fight. My hands drifted into the sleeves of the kimono, clutching my fan lightly. The puppy hadn't waited for me as he was still quickly walking down the hall, almost out of view. I didn't bother to run after him. If I got lost, all the more aggravation he would have to put up with.

To my disappointment, I found his tracks without a problem. They lead to a big room, the sliding doors elaborate in their decoration. I could faintly hear music on the other side of the door, the noise growing louder as I walked in. The room was filled with demons of every sort, as well as, to my surprise monks, priestesses and other humans. There were even a few demon slayers on hand. I stiffened as I walked in. No wonder Sesshomaru said that he'd have more pressing matters to be concerned about than 'protecting' me.

Sesshomaru waited by the doors for me, talking to his brother, Kagome, a monk and a demon slayer. Or rather, the four others were talking while he sat by and watched, listening to what they said. I strode over to them the best I could, in my current attire. I crossly noticed that no one else was quite as dressed up. Kagome hadn't even changed her attire in the least. She smiled at me as I approached.

"You look beautiful," she told me. The monk eyed me thoughtfully before grabbing my hand.

"Kagome is right," he said. "Would you do the honor of bearing my children?" I stared at him in shock before drawing out my fan. I never got the chance to attack him for the demon slayer abruptly slapped him.

"Pervert!" she screamed. He rubbed his cheek and looked hurt.

"My dear Sango, how could you do such a thing?" he asked. She glared at him until he backed down sheepishly. He muttered something I didn't catch. I quickly put my fan back in my sleeve, watching them carefully. Sesshomaru, I saw, was glaring at the monk dangerously. Inuyasha must have noticed it, too.

"Miroku, watch your hands tonight. If you get into trouble, I'm not going to save you." He warned the monk. Both girls nodded in agreement. The monk blushed and looked ashamed before his hand drifted off behind the demon slayer. She jumped slightly, blushing and whacked him in the face. I watched with interest. The monk was a total womanizer. Normally, I'd play with such a man but I didn't feel like it tonight. What was even the point of this party?

"I'm going to get something to drink," I said. No one followed me as I began to search for something like sake. If I was going to sit through this party, I wasn't going to be doing it sober.

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Only a half hour later I was listening to a few noble women, nodding as they talked about nothing. My head was in a slight daze but other than that, I was just fine. The subject wasn't heavily interesting; it was only about their mates and how 'great' they were. If it wasn't for the puppy I wouldn't even be pretending to listen to the conversation. I wasn't going to listen to him and his brother or his brother's friends arguing all night. Besides he would probably be grateful for my very illusive cover of going along with his ridiculous idea. If I was going to be his 'mate' for real, which I wasn't, I would want to act along with the nobles mate's who he could get support from. It was only something I had picked up at court that I had been dragged into by Naraku and had spent all my time mocking the nobles with Byakuya.

"I'm curious, Kagura," one of the nobles mocked. I believe her name was Abi or something annoying like that. "You managed to snag Naraku as well as Sesshomaru, all within a few months. How did you manage to do that?" She looked at me suggestively. I stared back at her expressionlessly. This is exactly why I hated nobles. They always thought they were so above you in every way.

"Oh, I don't know," I fluttered, taking out my fan and flicking it in front of my face, covering everything but my eyes. This is way she wouldn't be able to see the evil, sarcastic smirk that was on my face. "I guess I just have a way with men. I can't seem to keep them off of me. I'm sure you can relate."

Abi's face turned the slightest bit pink and she stared back at me. "I don't know what you mean, of course," she purred rather unsteadily. My smirk grew. She hadn't probably even noticed that I was being totally sarcastic with her. One of the other nobles laughed.

"Oh, I think you do!" she said. And with that I was thankfully left out of the conversation, for a few minutes at least. For after that, a woman wolf demon joined the conversation, her mate standing beside her. Kagome then joined while the rest of the annoying nobles quickly left before Inuyasha walked over. Sesshomaru, to my joy, didn't join in.

"Koga and Ayame! How are you doing?"Kagome asked the couple, the male wolf eying her with interest. Inuyasha seemed more stiff than usual.

"Kagome," the male wolf replied before grabbing her hand. "It is so sweet of you to think of me." Kagome smiled and seemed on the edge of replying when Inuyasha jumped in.

"Get your hands off her, you mangy wolf!" he growled. Kagome glared at him. Ayame held Koga back from jumping on to him. Finally, things were getting interesting. A fight would definitely liven up the party.

"Koga, leave him alone, please," Ayame asked. Koga bared his teeth at Inuyasha before relaxing.

"Heh, he's not even worth it," he finally said. Kagome now had to restrain Inuyasha. Koga turned his attention to me. "You're Naraku's cousin?" he asked, anger dusting his tone. I reached for my fan.

"What of it, wolfie?" I asked. His eyes narrowed.

"Naraku killed half of my pack! He set a wind witch on them and she murdered them but not before she controlled the dead ones to try and kill me!" he growled. I kept my face the same, not giving away anything. I was glad that I had hidden when Naraku had ordered me to kill the wolves, glad that he hadn't seen my face. For the thousandth time I cursed that bastard.

"As if it was my fault because my cousin tried to kill you." I replied. He grimaced.

"I'm going to kill that bastard before this is over, and that wind witch, too!" he told me. I blinked. Now I was quite glad he hadn't seen my face. I didn't need a little annoying wolf trying to kill me on top of everything else. Especially when I wouldn't be able to fight in my attire.

"Yeah, get in line," I sassed. He gave me an unreadable expression which I took as my cue to leave. No one followed me as I quickly left the group. I looked for Sesshomaru, hoping to escape the rest of this event. I didn't see him so I snagged another cup of sake. I hated these events so much. They were especially boring without Byakuya to make sarcastic comments with.

"You know, you're going to have a horrible hangover in the morning?" I turned around. I man who I had never seen before stood there. My eyes narrowed.

"What's your point?" I hissed. I didn't need a complete stranger telling me what to do. I already had enough bossy males in my life already. He smiled and, just for a flash, Byakuya replaced the man. He winked once.

"I don't think a hangover will improve your temper. Would you mind accompanying me outside for a while, my beauty?" he asked. I smiled, nodded, and walked outside, with him following closely. I went to the most secluded area immediately. It was in a nice, tidy corner where vision was limited from watchers. This was probably just another trick but I was glad to see my favorite cousin, in any case.

"I'm surprised you'd risk coming in the puppy's den." I mocked. He grinned and twisted a flower that had come from nowhere in his hands.

"I figured if I escaped him once without dying, I could escape again. Besides, I missed the sarcasms." He laughed. "Naraku thinks I'm taking some much needed resting time, just so you know. You can relax already." I took that as my cue to hug him.

"How's betraying him going?" I asked, knowing of his carefully laid plans to wait for another to kill him or trick him into letting him go. He made a face.

"I think you might be having more progress with it. I don't have a big guard dog protecting me like you do. He's frustrated, to say the least. You should have seen his face when he heard Sesshomaru's plans to mate with you. He didn't take too happily to having Sesshomaru steal his prize." I snickered at him.

"So he actually believed it, huh? I wish he would challenge Sesshomaru for me. That way he would be dead and over with already." Byakuya sighed.

"He's too cowardly to do that. But he might get brave and do something stupid, if he gets aggravated enough."

"He might just be similar to the puppy in that respect. I don't think there are very many other aspects they share. If Naraku decides not to come after me, you'll have to distract him long enough to let me escape. I'm not going to stay around long enough to wait for the puppy to decide that he's going to carry on with his threat of mating with me."

"Oh, I think you two would make quite the couple," Byakuya teased. "Fire and ice mix well together, don't you think?" I shoved him into a wall playfully. But before I could reply, he tensed up. "Hmmm, it looks like the watch dog noticed you left." I turned around rapidly.

Sesshomaru walked in the shadows behind us, one hand on his sword hilt. I slid closer to the wall, hoping he didn't see us. He was smart enough to figure out that the mysterious man I was with didn't bode well, leaving him as a spy for Naraku or an opponent. It was too late, however, for he started walking towards us. Byakuya didn't look happy about it, as I'm sure I didn't, either.

"Get bored with your own party or something?" I mocked at Sesshomaru as he approached. He ignored me, watching Byakuya.

"If you think to fool me with that mirage, illusionist, you are mistaken," he growled. Both Byakuya and my eyes widened. I quickly put myself between the puppy and my cousin. I wasn't going to let the puppy touch him without going through me. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to notice my movement.

"Damn, you're getting better at that." Byakuya replied, smiling. "Looks like Naraku underestimated yet another enemy." Sesshomaru placed his hand on a sword hilt. I whipped out my fan and flicked it open.

"Move, witch," Sesshomaru ordered, finally noticing me in between them. I laughed at him.

"Move me, puppy!" I snarled. "But you'd be losing quite an advantage, don't you think? Or maybe you could tempt Naraku to like you if you wore some more makeup. You'd make a very pretty girl!" He eyed me carefully before withdrawing his hand.

"I'd be careful. Her temper's never good when she'd been drinking," Byakuya warned. I ignored him. I wasn't drunk, not all, not even buzzed. Sesshomaru eyed him one last time before scooping me up like a doll.

"As I can see," he said. "Leave before I get back. I don't want to waste my time fighting you." I struggled in his grasp, the kimono restraining my movement.

"Let me go, you stupid dog!" I yelled at him. Byakuya laughed at me before walking away. What the hell did he mean I had been drinking? I was completely sober!

It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to carry me back to the bedroom, even with my struggles. He set me down on the bed before snagging a chair on the other side of the room, watching me.

"Sleep," was all he said. I stuck my tongue out at him and started a glaring match, which I quickly won. He didn't even bother to try and compete against me.

_A/N:_ I hope everyone enjoyed! Not too much to say today. Next chappie should be good, though poor Kagura will have a hangover and a bad temper. Don't forget to review!


	9. Just a Little Sport

_A/N_: Hello! I hope everyone is having good holidays so far! Here's the next chapter of Freedom's Will. Enjoy, its humorous, to say the least. Puppy gets a bath…

Freedom's Will

Chapter 9

Just a Little Sport

My head was pounding when I woke up in the morning. The sun was blinding. I just wanted to curl up and hide under the blankets for the whole day. I doubted the puppy would let me but it didn't stop my wishing. I was just surprised that he hadn't dunked me in the nearest pail of water until I puked. But the humiliation of the nobles knowing I had gotten totally drunk last night, which I knew I had from the hangover, would be sufficient for the puppy's punishment for dragging me to the affair.

I dragged a hand through my hair and sat up, wincing at the sunlight. Somehow, my hair had become unfurled while I sleep. Or the puppy had taken it out when I slept, which was almost caring of him. It wouldn't have been comfortable to sleep with my hair in the dressings. Or maybe I had taken it out before I went to sleep. I couldn't remember anything after talking to Byakuya very clearly. I did know that I hadn't been dunked in water, though. I was almost certain that it wouldn't be an event I would have forgotten.

Sesshomaru's golden eyes met mine across from the room. He relaxed in a chair across the room, presumably the place he had slept the night. Unless he had moved in the middle of the night so I wouldn't kill him in the morning. He was smart enough to figure that much out. Not that he didn't deserve to sleep on a chair for a night, receiving some nice cramps and bruises from it. But he looked too relaxed to have slept on a chair, much too comfortable.

"Do you need something, puppy?" I asked him. His staring was getting unnerving and I wasn't in the mood to deal with him. My head already hurt too much to bandy with the block of ice.

"Are you well enough to travel today?" he calmly said. Of course he had to answer my question with a question. As for travelling, if it was with him, there was no way in hell. I eyed him with curiosity. Where was he supposedly going today? Had he actually gained an ally at the party last night? It was funny; I hadn't seen him say a single word to anyone at the whole affair. It would seem that he was usually an ice block to everyone else, too.

"Is there a reason I should be?" I inquired back. He waited to respond.

"There are matters I need to attend to. I would prefer if you came with me," I smirked slightly.

"What, you finally figure out that I'm not going to follow your orders?" It would be better for him if he had discovered that little thing out. He had, after all, said that he would prefer it, not that I had to come with him.

"No," was his whole response. Oh, so we were back to one worded responses. Of course.

"Huh, I'm not well enough to travel, in that case," He made a silent tsking sound that I probably wasn't supposed to hear. I didn't know why he was so disappointed. I thought he would rejoice at the news that he didn't have to pretend anything or deal with me for a whole day. He never reacted accordingly. "What happened last night?"

"You disgraced me," he responded coldly. I laughed. Good, it had turned out like I planned. Unless he was talking about something I didn't know about. I suddenly noticed I had been changed into a simpler, white kimono underneath the sheets. Suddenly, everything was sickeningly clear of something that might have happened.

"How did I get changed?" I asked suspiciously. He looked almost annoyed, or maybe it was amused, as he tossed me my normal kimono. I caught it slowly.

"You sent me out my own chambers and changed yourself." He replied. I eyed him. He didn't seem to be lying.

"Nothing else happened, puppy?" I stated, more as a question. I thought he was going to roll his eyes. But no, that would have totally shattered his icy mask.

"I wouldn't do anything with you inebriated, witch. It would be shameful and you're too low of a demoness to consider it." I glared at him. Stupid bastard! He couldn't go two seconds without reminding me of that, reminding of Naraku. He was much too obsessed with it. It was probably his prideful nobleness that also made him refer to himself as "this Sesshomaru".

I grabbed my fan from beside me and took my good kimono before stamping into the other room. He just watched with, amusement perhaps, as I walked by. I slammed the door, my head pounding with the sound, as well as my movement. Maybe my temper was a little short today but my head wasn't making matters any better in the least.

It took me only a few minutes to change and tie my hair back up. When I stalked back into his room, ready with a good insult and reply to his words, it was empty. I hissed through my teeth. He couldn't stay in one place for just a few minutes. Who knew, maybe I would have changed my mind and joined him in his affairs, if only he had waited for me. Probably not but the thought of him waiting for me would have been nice.

My temper was boiling underneath my skin, partly due to my pounding head and annoying stomach. I really needed someone or something to take it out on. I blankly wondered if there was some type of battling or training grounds near this place. I couldn't imagine the puppy not having one. But then again, he was the type who would find the nearest demon and practice on them. Still, it was a thought that I would enjoy finding out if it was true or not.

I tucked my fan into my sleeve and left his rooms, navigating the halls somehow until I reached the outside. The skies were clear, blue and beautiful as they greeted my face. The sun however wasn't so kind in its greeting. It was way too bright out for me. A cloudy day would have been preferred. At least there was a nice light breeze whisking its way around me.

The dog demons flittering around me seemed to be ignoring my presence, avoiding me as much as possible. The first few I tried to stop, to ask if there was some place around to train in but they walked on with a cold expression, reminding me of the puppy greatly. His attitude must have brushed off onto all his little servants. After asking a couple of the demons and getting the same response, I just quit all together. Instead, I just wandered around aimlessly, searching.

And then, there it was, right in front of me. The training grounds or whatever they were called. It was a nice flat area filled with sand in some spots and nice waving grass in others. Flowers danced around the edge, almost 100 meters away from each other in each direction. It would be a perfect area to practice in. I could even faintly see a few practice dummies lined neatly against the walls. They would be good to take out some of my temper on.

I dragged a few of the dummies into the field and firmly pushed them into the ground before walking away, drawing out my fan. It opened with a slight _wisp_. I began to dance around, bringing it around in a circle slowly. The wind was instantly drawn to my dance, swirling me around, gathering more and more fury as I increased my spin. When I stopped it was creating a safe bubble around me, the wind roaring like a lion.

"Dance of the Dragon," I calmly said, releasing its fury. Tornadoes touched the ground around me as they quickly tore apart the dummies, swirling them up into the winds. I smiled before sending a dance of blades into the mix. By the time I was done, the dummies fell to the ground in shreds like a bunch of fallen leaves. I walked over to them, kicking them lightly with my foot. Some of the pieces crumbled into dust. I walked over to get some more dummies swiftly.

"Dance of Blades!" I screamed, slicing yet another few dummies in half. This was almost getting boring but there was nothing else to do around here. The puppy was officially gone for the day, cutting off my options of annoying him and Kagome was with Inuyasha, locked in her room with him. I didn't even want to go there. Who knows what awful sights were possible to be seen in there. Rin had also left with the puppy.

I had no doubt that the puppy would be upset with my day's work. I had destroyed almost all his dummies that he presently owned. But anything that annoyed him would be good, even if it was something small. I sent a gust of wind to the next bunch of dummies and dragged them over, punching them into the ground.

My hand swung around, gathering the wind as I prepared the dance of blades one more time. Something grabbed it before I could bring it back up. Seconds later I felt someone slide up behind me. I whipped around quickly.

Sesshomaru stood behind me, his hand clamped around my wrist gently. I pulled away from him in shock.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, staring at him. He stared right back, looking as if nothing at all was wrong. Since when did the puppy have the right to come up behind me and attach onto my arm? I'd rather not have the protective dog crap that he seemed to be doing.

"You're being foolish with your swing," he said. I raised my eyebrows. Was he seriously giving me advice on my attack?

"That's odd," I mocked, "I don't remember you being a wind demon and knowing all about their attacks." He half-smiled again, with it still not reaching his eyes. I wondered if any of his smiles did. I wanted to just force him to fully smile. He didn't have any authority to be smug in this situation, however.

"Don't be like my brother, witch," he told me. I rolled my eyes and walked away from him before swinging back again. Somehow, the puppy caught my arm another time. I hissed at him in anger but he simply ignored me. Instead, he lightly guided my hand back. "Release your attack," he chided. I scowled, considering dropping all my wind then and there, before gathering wind around my fan like I normally would. I could just guess his triumphant face when I did. It was enough to make me grind my teeth together.

His grip was still light as he helped me swing my arm forward as I released the attack, a dance of blades. The blades erupted from the tip and shot off, weaker than normal. I smirked as he carefully released my arm.

"As I said, you're not a wind demon, puppy, so don't give me orders. My attacks are a little different than yours." I grinned. His face was blank.

"Very well, witch," he said. "How do you usually attack?" I smiled at him.

"Step away, my dear puppy," I teased. "We wouldn't want to mess up your pretty hair," His arms folded as he stayed where he was.

"Continue, witch," he ordered. I quickly swung back and let go a stream of blades. My anger made them that much more furious and deadly. I watched with a smile as they sliced the dummies to pieces. I then looked back at him.

His sword was out, pointed carefully towards me. I'm sure surprise was recognizable on my face but I masked it the best that I could.

"What, you want a lesson?" I sarcastically questioned. His face didn't change in the least.

"I wish to test your way," he replied. I almost choked. Since when did he think he needed to improve any of his attacks in any way? Didn't he think he was superior to everyone else?

"Test away, doggy. Unless you want me to help," I mocked, this time careful. I doubted that he would go for that. If he did, I was going to die with shock.

"If I didn't want your assistance, witch, I would have tested it at a later time," he said, as if it was a completely obvious thing. My eyes probably popped with shock, they felt like they were going to. Normally, I would have made a sarcastic comment but somehow, I was unable to find my tongue to shoot something back at him. I just quickly moved behind him, slowly taking his hand that covered his sword.

He swung back as if I wasn't there and my arm moved according to its natural muscle movement, tugging his in the same direction. I faintly noticed that he didn't smell half bad, when you were this close. The puppy must have been part water-dog. My body moved closer to him of its own accord as I helped him swing forward. I didn't see the affects of my help, for his body blocked out all my vision of it. All I know is the puppy tensed up before swinging back again and releasing another attack.

Golden eyes came down to look upon my face. Surprise flickered in them before I heard his sword whisk as it slid back to his side. I suddenly noticed how close I was to his body. I quickly moved away, wanting to clear my throat in embarrassment but unable to do it. My cheeks slightly heated and I only hoped that I wasn't totally red, not in front of him.

"You look as if you've learned something," I informed him. He stared into my eyes before replying.

"Believe whatever you wish, witch," he coldly replied. I smiled at him.

"What's wrong, afraid to admit you were mistaken? " I mocked. His hand came up to my waist before pushing me away and withdrawing his sword.

"I wish to fight you, witch," he told me before rushing right at me, sword deadly in his hands. I leaped back in shock and took back out my fan. I only had a moment to recover before one of his attacks came straight for me. It was much weaker than I had seen before, to my relief. It would seem that he wasn't trying to kill me, in the least.

"Dance of Blades!" The blades hurtled towards him, not at the full strength, either. He quickly dodged them before I change their direction, something I had been practicing the whole day, out of pure boredom. They resisted my control for an instant, and then ran back at him. He wasn't expecting them to do that, for they cut into his arm, splattering a few drops of blood. It took him half a second to appear in front of my face, his green whip turning around me. I pushed him away with a gust of wind but not before the whip sliced into my back.

I hissed when the blood from my back left my body. Stupid dog. "Dance of the Dragons!" The tornadoes rushed at him. I expected him to dodge but he just stood there before taking out a sword and slicing through my winds.

The exchange lasted for a few minutes before he seemed to tire of it, putting away his sword and signaling for me to stop. I took a deep breath and tucked away my fan with relief. He was a harder opponent than I had anticipated. It was good news for my cause of killing Naraku but bad news for any play fights with him. He took it easy only for a while before getting much too serious.

Sesshomaru walked over to me, grabbing my fan from my hands. I was on the edge of objecting when he handed it back.

"Your fan is of poor quality," he educated me before handing it back. I huffed at him. I didn't need his opinion to know that. Naraku had been a cheap ass when he had broken my other fan, when I had once tried to escape his grasp. I could tell the difference the second I used the new fan. Sesshomaru seemed to be thinking about it when I pulled out one of his swords. That he quickly noticed.

I inspected the blade and the handle of the sword with an inaccurate gaze. It looked to be the finest stuff you could get while the blade was made out of some demon fang. Of course it would be the best you could get. It fit the puppy's attitude perfectly. He grabbed the sword from my hand and put it where it belonged.

"Hmm, puppy's a bit protective of his sword, isn't he?" I teased. He eyed me seriously before snatching my fan once again and walking away. I stared at him in shock before running after him. "What the hell are you doing?" I spat. He ignored me and kept walking. I sighed.

That was when I noticed the nice, pretty pond to the left of where he was walking. I had slashed his legs a couple of times, when he wasn't expecting it, enough that he might be imbalanced. It might work, I thought to myself. But still, I doubted I would be able to push hard enough to knock him into it. If only he hadn't just snatched my fan. It took me a full few seconds to run over in front of him, making him stop in his tracks. I glared up at him and snatched my fan from his belt.

He didn't react, instead he just held out his hand, as if it was obvious it was now his property. I smirked at it before using the wind to dump the entire body of water on to his head, thinking of my aching wounds. None of the water so much as dropped on me. I could see the surprise in his face that I had dared to do that to him and I laughed. Water dripped from his hair, his clothes, and every single thing on him. A lily pad covered the top of his head, the flower on it wilting down on the edge of falling into his face.

"You looked like you needed a bath," I cackled in his face before handing him my fan back and merrily walking away. If I had been the type of person to go around skipping, I would have skipped away. In any case, it just sat there, as if dumbstruck.

_A/N_: Hope everyone enjoyed! I have to say, this was my favorite chapter to write, so far. Don't forget to review…you know you want to (You always do, right? )….


	10. If Only You Could Kill Messengers

_A/N_: Hello! Here's the last chapter of the week. Sorry it's kinda short but it was just a great place to stop it. Thanks for all the reviews!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 10

If Only You Could Kill Messengers…

Kagome caught me before I reached my chambers. Her face was grave, upset, to say the least. I wondered what was wrong.

"Kagura," she murmured. "There is a messenger at the gates with news about Naraku." I stared at her. Then why did she look like Inuyasha had died? What could have made her so moody? I had a bad feeling that the news wasn't good in the least.

"Your point?" I asked impatiently. I wished she would go ahead and tell me already. The tension was rapidly degenerating my good mood from drenching the puppy.

"Naraku married another demoness this morning," she told me. The shock destroyed any amount of a good mood I had. Naraku had decided to not come after me? Part of me was joyful while part of me was annoyed. Apparently, he had decided I wasn't worth the trouble. It was an insult and not a light one. But I didn't really want him to have me so the point was mute.

And…I was free? Free from Naraku, now that I was no longer useful to him and Sesshomaru, since Naraku wouldn't come after me now. Or at least, Sesshomaru should let me go now. Unless he really meant to carry out his threat, however, he had no reason to do that. Right? I smiled at Kagome.

"That's my cue to leave," I told her. "My part of the deal is done." She looked surprised. I took out my feather and got on. Then I remembered Sesshomaru had my fan. I could always buy a new one quickly and simply leave. I'd rather not talk with him about it. There was a chance that he wouldn't let me leave if I did. I liked my fan, oh so much, though. I had just gotten used to it and it was a pain to get used to a new fan. It took a few months to get used to them. I sighed and put my feather back away. "Damn it," I hissed. "I need to get my fan back,".

"Do you want me to ask him for you?" Kagome asked. The offer was tempting. I had a feeling that it would be too shaming to let her do it for me. I couldn't let her do it.

"No, I'll deal with the puppy," I growled and walked back the way I had come. With any luck, the puppy wouldn't be in a bas mood about what I had done to him earlier. If only I hadn't dumped the pond on him. My temper was not a good thing to use to control my decisions in life.

The puppy still sat where he had before, brushing off the moisture in his clothes. The lilypad sat on the ground next to him, limp. I don't even think he noticed my approach. I faintly relized how good he looked wet. But my joy blocked it all out. My fan was back on his hip. I eyed it, wondering if I could just go and snatch it from him. Perhaps an ego boost would help my situation, for him that was.

"Apparently your power has scared off Naraku, milord," I bubbled, putting on an impressed face, or what I thought to be one. His eyes jerked up to look at me in surprise, although he covered it well. He abruptly stopping wring his clothes, as it was something shameful to him.

"What do you mean, witch?" he asked. I smiled at him seductively .

"Naraku took a bride, today. He wouldn't have been able to compete with you, of course, although I wish he had," I smoothly said. He almost looked apprehensive at my attitude, or perhaps, the news.

"I see." That was it? He was taking the news rather well. I thought he would at least be annoyed or angry that his plot hadn't worked.

"Then with your permission, I'll be leaving now. I just need my fan back," I hesitantly asked. He paused before wrapping his hand around my fan, holding it tightly in his fist. My heart sunk in my chest. He wasn't going to let me go, was he. The bastard! My part in this agreement was over!

"I am already aware that he took a bride, witch. He is mearly tricking you into leaving this Sesshomaru." He murmured. How the hell could he have known? The messenger had just came, not two hours ago. Unless he had learned about it while at his meeting. Who had he been meeting with, in any case? But that would mean that he knew that I would be trying to leave as soon as I found out…and that I wouldn't leave without my fan. Everything clicked into place. He had taken my fan with the knowledge that I would wait to get it back in order to leave. My smile froze before it dripped into a glare.

"You stole my fan!" I hissed, angry. His expression could only be described as smug. I wished I could dump the pond on him again. "Give it back, you stupid dog!" He handed it to me slowly but not before he grabbed my wrist like a clamp. I pulled away, only to be tugged along by him to his chambers.

When we arrive, he sat me down in the chair and towered over me, shutting the doors firmly behind him. I glared for all I was worth, stroking my fan and wondering if I attacked him, if it would give me enough to leave. I doubted that it would.

"Do not be rash," he chided. I threw my fan at his head. He caught it swiftly, tucking it back in his keeping place.

"Why don't you just keep that? That way you don't have to trick me into staying!" I screeched. The nerve of the man. My freedom was within a hair's breath and he wouldn't allow me to take it.

"Naraku didn't take a bride to keep, Kagura," he catiously muttered. "I met with Byakuya today without Naraku's eyes and he shared some of their plans with me." I gasped. Byakuya had been in on this too? So he was taking certain steps to betray Naraku as well. That must have been why the puppy had wished for me to accompany him to the meeting. He must have not trusted Byakuya very much. But it also meant that the puppy trusted me, which didn't make sense. Maybe my reasoning was incorrect in this matter. I doubted that the puppy actually trusted anyone at all.

"Then why did he take one?" I inquired. I already knew the answer. He wanted to trick me into leaving the puppy's protection. In any case, he still wasn't coming after me.

"You're not a fool. He had decided not to actively come after you," Sesshomaru replied. He was avoiding the question, obviously. "I'm not going to wait for him," I blinked in surprise. So, in other words, he was going to hunt down and kill Naraku? I smiled in triumph. I liked this plan very much.

"So I get to wait for you to kill him," I half-asked, half-stated. Sesshomaru did his half-smile.

"I'm not wasting my time finding him, witch," he told me. I stared at him. Then what the hell did he mean by that? Horror filled my face suddenly as his words clicked together. Sesshomaru was obviously plotting something that would bring Naraku to him and quickly. That could only mean one thing. He was going to carry out his threat.

_A/N:_ I hope everyone likes. Don't kill me for the cliffy…. Next chapter will be nice and long, promise. Don't forget to review…you know you want to (and it might make me update sooner)…


	11. Lovesick Over a Puppy? Ha!

**A/N:** Hi! Thanks for all the reviews and view! Finally, hit 50 reviews and 1000 hits. *hugs all the readers* Happy New Year! (In a few hours for some, so early Happy New Year!). Here's the awesome new chapter. I hope everyone likes! It's even extra long!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 11

Lovesick Over a Dog? Ha!

Not even half an hour later, I was back in the study, desperately searching through the books. I had to find, anything, anything at all to change the puppy's mind in this matter. He was going to give Naraku a few days to react before he actually preformed the whole plot completely. With any luck, Naraku would intervene before that time, but the chances were slim that he would, not with Sesshomaru still protecting me. If not, I could easily see how the situation could get so much worse. What if Naraku gave up on me completely? Would Sesshomaru still try to use me for years afterwards, still as his bride? The thought made me shiver with dread. Years of waking up to that cold, annoying, infuriating face while Naraku didn't give a damn that I wasn't with him.

But no, Naraku wouldn't let that happen, right? He couldn't. If he did, Sesshomaru wouldn't have to worry about him coming because I would drag that slimy bastard to him, by force if necessary.

The time was short. A few days to rattle my brain for any plausible ideas of how to escape this situation was all I needed to get out of this. I had found ways to get out of every other tough place I had put myself in so why would this situation be any different. My brain didn't seem to be cooperating, however. The only ideas that ran though my brain were horrible.

I couldn't help but think that being married to the puppy wouldn't be halfway bad or even bad at all. He was fun to mock and tease, as well to argue with, which would provide me with endless entertainment. He was bent on protecting me, even when I didn't even need it. It was okay that it was just so he could kill Naraku, too. For some reason, the reason behind his actions didn't bother me. And he was rich and powerful, the type of guy many a girl would dream of marrying. Heck, when I was little I had even dreamed of it, even though I knew it would be horribly impossible. The man obviously had a soft spot in his heart somewhere, as showed by Rin. He wasn't even that bad looking.

I shoved the thoughts away quickly. No, I couldn't be doing this, not now. How come my head wouldn't act normally and stray away from such thoughts? I didn't _want_ to hear those thoughts, I didn't _want_ to hear the truth in them, to realize the insight that I usually enjoyed in them. It didn't matter if he was basically my dream guy. I needed to get away from it all. I was the wind. I couldn't be tied down by a man even if I didn't mind the thought of being tied down by him.

I slammed shut the book in my hands. I didn't even comprehend the words, any ways; my thoughts were in the way. Why did this always happen to me? I didn't want or need this. The book fell to the floor as I put my head in my hands, closing my eyes and rubbing my face tiredly. I noticed, with a shock, that I had been falling for the dumb dog since I had met him. It was all the stupid man's fault that I wasn't thinking clearly.

The worse part about it was I couldn't escape him, not even for a day. I knew he wouldn't allow me to go out alone, or without him and I couldn't escape his presence in his castle. Even now, I was waiting to attend dinner with him tonight, which was only an hour away. It wasn't even helpful to know that Inuyasha and Kagome were having dinner with us. In some ways, their relationship made matters even worse.

No, this thing had been too short for me to respect it. I had only known the damn dog for a week, maybe two. I couldn't be falling for him. No, I was just making a big deal out of nothing. This whole thing would just blow over and I would be left thinking how stupid I had been. How stupid that I had ever thought that I could ever fall for a block of ice in the form of a dog. I rolled my eyes, back in good humor. But the thoughts of before staying in my mind, continuing to haunt me as I went back into the book, once again looking for an escape route.

My hour alone passed in a blur. One minute I was laughing at myself for ever thinking I had fallen for the puppy and the next the man himself came to get me for dinner. And I still had no plan of how to escape from my predicament.

Thankfully, tonight I wasn't forced into wearing the fancy kimono and I was able to just wear my usual one. I could only guess that the puppy noticed my mood was sour enough without making me wear the ridiculous outfit on top of it. I could only hope that at the wedding he wouldn't force me into wearing something as silly as that. Not that I was intending on letting the situation progress that far.

Kagome and Inuyasha were already in the room when we arrive, arguing about Inuyasha's outfit. He was missing the top of his kimono, leaving his chest to be covered with a simple white under cloth. He obviously thought it was entirely proper for the occasion while Kagome heavily disagreed. Sesshomaru only eyed him once with distaste obvious before silently sitting down. I followed suit, not really wanting to throw myself into the couple's heated argument.

Kagome gave a final huff before turning to us. A smile crossed her face and she presented her hand. A ring lay on the ring finger, glittering in the light. I looked on in surprise.

"Inuyasha finally decided to be my mate," she squealed. I suddenly noticed the discreet bite mark on the junction of her neck and shoulder. Sesshomaru didn't even glance over. I felt my temper rise. If I was going to play along with his little scheme, the least he could do was act as if he wasn't in pain because of it. He was simply off in his own world, not caring what anyone thought of it. At least Naraku had acted a tiny bit excited about the affair, even if it was sick and twisted. I blinked. Where the hell had that thought come from? Since when did I care what or how Sesshomaru treated the situation? It wasn't as though I was really into the whole thing.

"Congrats," I said dryly. "Next time you do something like that, try not to publicize that you two are closed up in a room for the whole day. It takes all the guess work out of it," I had guessed as much of what they were doing, even if I hadn't guessed that they had finally mated. Kagome blushed while Inuyasha hmphed.

"So are you two going to get together soon?" Kagome questioned. I grimaced. Inuyasha laughed snidely. My eyes narrowed.

"Ha. As if that bastard would actually act. It would show he's not a freaking block of ice," Inuyasha growled. I noticed out of the corner of my eye how Sesshomaru's hand twitched toward the hilt of one of his swords. I intervened quickly. A fight was fun to watch but I wasn't in the mood to watch one at the moment. The moment was too sour already without having to help an injured puppy lick off his wounds.

"Do you actually think that mating with Kagome shows anything about you? Except maybe how scared you are that a weak wolfy will carry her off someday?" I purred. Kagome had to restrain Inuyasha in his chair to keep him from leaping at me. So murmured something in his ear to calm him down and he relaxed in his chair. But it didn't keep him from glaring at me murderously. He needed to learn to control his temper. I smirked at him before beginning to drink from my glass.

"I plan to marry the witch next week," Sesshomaru announced. The water quickly went down the wrong way as I took a sharp intake of breath. I began to cough, sputtering all the water all over. My breath wouldn't come. Why the hell did he do that? Had he just freaking waited for me to take a drink? I heard Inuyasha and Kagome's reaction while I was fighting for some air. Finally, all the moisture cleared out from my lungs, leaving me free to glare at the puppy. My looks seemed to bounce right off him.

"Really? Maybe we should have a double wedding?" Kagome bubbled. I was forced to remove my gaze from the puppy to look back at her.

"Shut up, Kagome. I doubt the bastard will make it real," Inuyasha cut in angrily. Everyone else glared at him coldly. Sesshomaru went so far as to reach for his sword. I gave him a warning look. I didn't want to deal with their shit tonight.

"If I know him, Naraku will check before he lets me go," I replied. "If it was fake, he would know. He'll probably send one of his little minions to make sure." Inuyasha growled at me. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. If he didn't want an answer, he shouldn't have asked the question in the first place. Sesshomaru sent a glare my way. He just seemed to be handing them out in droves, tonight.

Kagome sighed. "I guess a double wedding wouldn't work. We'd have fighting relatives," she grinned at me before very deliberately looking at the two brothers. I smirked and looked down. She was probably right about that.

The meal came swiftly afterwards, cutting off all talking for a while. The silence was relaxing but I couldn't seem to focus on plotting. It felt all too weird with Sesshomaru sitting next to me. It almost made me feel guilty, as if I got out of this plot, it would mean I didn't hold up my end of the bargain. But if Naraku wasn't dead, it didn't matter too much, did it?

"So, after Naraku is dead, will you two break apart somehow or what?" Inuyasha crudely broke the silence. I stared at him, not knowing what to say. It would be most dishonorable to break a marriage like that, if it was real. Unless I didn't get pregnant, which shouldn't be too hard to accomplish. That would mean the marriage wasn't consummated and I would be free to leave. There was no way in hell I was going to mate with puppy and I doubted he had such thoughts in his mind, either. Or at least I hoped he didn't, for his sake.

"What do you think I'm going to do, stay with the annoying puppy forever?" I snapped. "Of course we'll break apart afterwards," Kagome frowned while Inuyasha looked to his brother expectantly, as if he couldn't believe he was just going to let that insult fly. Sesshomaru just gave him a flat look and didn't respond.

"Oh," was all Kagome said in a dejected tone. I realized that she wanted it to be real. But why? Did she enjoy my company or something? Or was it just that she wanted Sesshomaru to settle down? Either way, she would have to get over it. And Sesshomaru could find another demoness to treat with his cold ass attitude. The silence returned.

After a while, all the non-talking began to get on my nerves. Everyone just sat there and ate. It grew to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I excused myself when I was done and hurried outside.

The night air was cool and relaxing. The sounds of the night filled the air and the moon hung in the sky with the clear stars twinkling around it. I stared at the sky. It looked very similar to when I had been in the illusion and seen the sky. It was still just so peaceful and beautiful. I wished I could take out my feather and fly off in the stars, as far away from everything that I could go. To just lose myself in the sky and the stars until I was in a new land, where everything was freer.

A cherry tree sat in the middle of the courtyard I had walked in, the breeze gently shaking the blossoms on it. It was so similar to the one back at my home. It was just like the one my dad used to help me climb to pick off the new cherries and would take the blossoms off to put in my hair. I quickly shook off the memories. They didn't matter, not anymore. It was my past and it needed to stay my past. But it didn't help fade my craving to climb the branches.

It only took a few seconds to climb to the top branches, where if I went any higher the branches would break. Blossoms surrounded me on all sides, still waving gently. I couldn't even see the world outside my new fortress. It was like my own little place, secure and quiet. I inhaled the scent of the blossoms happily, closing my eyes softly in the process. This was probably really child-like behavior but who really cared? It never hurt anyone to let loose now and then.

The crack of the branch below was the only warning I had before the branch I was on shook softly. My eyes snapped open, my pleasure and peace instantly vanishing. Sesshomaru sat on the branch before me, as calm as could be. I glared at him.

"Can't you let me be in peace for at least an hour or two before performing your watch dog duties?" I hissed, annoyed. He looked at me calmly, except for his eyes which were gently scalding. I felt myself tense up at the expression in them.

"Then I suggest you don't run off, witch," he replied. I growled and hefted myself off the branch. This was no fun if the puppy was joining in. In fact, it made it the very opposite of fun. It just sucked when the puppy showed up and spoiled all my good moods.

He caught my arm quickly and pulled me back up. I jerked away but didn't get anywhere. My eyes blazed with anger. What the hell did he think he was doing? I quickly stopped jerking and sat down. If I kept trying to get away, I knew I couldn't. So I did the next best thing, I simply pushed him off the branch as hard as I could. He wasn't expecting it, for he fell, surprise in his eyes and the branches snapped beneath him and blossoms rained down.

I only sat there and laughed. The stupid dog deserved it. Then I noticed he wasn't moving, not one bit. I looked down suspiciously. That fall had been a few meters so how could he have been hurt. But he looked as if he had been knocked unconscious. Although it went against my better judgment, I need to check to make sure he wasn't. After all, if he was hurt, he wouldn't be able to kill Naraku…or marry me. I shoved the last part away quickly. As if I cared if he did that or not.

I dropped to the ground beside him gracefully and bent down, until I was right above him. He grabbed my foot quickly, making me fall into his chest. A half smile filled his face. I stared at him. Since when was he low enough to trick someone? Was this yet another illusion?

Then his face changed, into an almost worried look, although it didn't show well. I blinked and that was all the time it took for him to kiss me quickly. I froze in horror. That damn dog was dead! How dare he do that? He just deepened it, forcing me to react. Shock froze my body in place. This had to be an illusion. It only made me more positive this wasn't really when Sesshomaru picked me up.

We ended up in the bedroom. When we reached there, he dropped me on the floor harshly and stalked to window. I stared at him, wide eyed. What the hell was going on? He surveyed the view outside before walking back over, his face cautious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I screamed at him. He gave me a flat glare.

"Pay attention, witch. One of Naraku's brothers was watching," he explained. I looked at the floor.

"Which one?" I asked, too stunned to say anything else.

"Hakudoshi," he replied. I shook my head. So that was the reason for the kiss. Of course. He had been trying to give the image that we were actually together. I quickly put together that the scene we had put on outside was rather like a couple, even though it wasn't intended to be, not by me. The bastard could have at least warned me that Hakudoshi was watching. Now, hopefully, he fell for it. Then maybe Naraku would come after me and the marrying business would be over. I felt a tiny part of myself recoil from the thought, the miserable part of me that also said that kiss had actually been rather good. I crushed that part of me, dreading that it would come back, as I knew it would.

**A/N**: I hoped everyone liked. I know people were expecting a wedding but it's not quite yet. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone…. Anyways, don't forget to review…you know you want to!


	12. So the Puppy Does Have a Heart

**A/N**: Hi! Thanks for all the reviews! Finally, we're to the wedding. Okay, I hope everyone enjoys!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 12

So the Puppy Has a Heart After All

The next week passed in a blur. I spent my days in the study and with Kagome, planning. Somehow, she had convinced Inuyasha to do the double wedding, leaving me to convince Sesshomaru. I wasn't even able to ask him before he passed the idea through and approving it, to my surprise. I didn't think too much on it. He probably could care less how the ceremony went. If this whole thing was fake, it didn't matter how it turned out.

Rin was to be the flower girl and couldn't be happier. When Naraku was dead, I was going to have to avoid the kid. I didn't want to see her big teary eyes when I left. She was all in raves about me being her mom. At least the kid could go whine to Kagome when I was gone.

Before I realized it, it was the morning of the wedding. Sesshomaru, as usual, slept in the chair (to my delight) but was up long before me, almost every day. And so, when I opened my eyes that morning, they quickly widened in surprise. The kimono I was to wear sat on the chair he slept on, a small note pinned to it. I could tell it was from Sesshomaru by the style of the handwriting. It was neat and prissy but cold, just like him. My lips twitched into a smile. How typical.

I got out of bed and plucked the note off. My shoulders slumped as I read it, finally knowing I wasn't going to get out of this. I hadn't been able to come up with a plan, so far. I still couldn't shake those stupid thoughts about how it wouldn't be so bad to married to him. Not that it mattered; we wouldn't be married for long, if I had anything to say. The note read like this, although I hardly noticed the words.

_Kagura,_

_Put on this kimono and hurry down to the dining hall. Do not waste my time._

I snorted. Yeah, I was going to totally listen to him. He still didn't give me orders for me to follow. Maybe he expected them followed but they never were. So I took my time putting on what I saw as future chains, just waiting for him to come and glare at me. He never did come to my dismay.

I considered waiting in here for him to come and get me before deciding it was much too childish. Today was probably one of those days where I should listen to him. I made my way down to the dining hall as slowly as I could. I wasn't ready, not for this. I didn't want to get married, even to kill Naraku. If only he could have waited a few more days to see if Naraku would react, not that he necessarily would. I supposed I was getting cold feet about this marriage thing. Which was odd, since you usually only got cold feet if you actually liked the guy.

Everyone was waiting downstairs for me. Kagome smiled when I came into view and twirled around in her matching kimono.

"Turn around. I want to see it from all sides," she squealed. I hid a grimace as I did. I heard Inuyasha comment something nasty but I ignored him briskly. Today wouldn't be the best day to do that.

A heard someone clear their throat behind me appreciably. I whipped around in annoyance, only to see a complete stranger next to the lovebirds and Sesshomaru. He was an older man with white hair and dressed in a grimy green kimono. To my surprise, when Sesshomaru noticed my annoyance, he hit the old man on the top of the head.

"Kagura, this is Totasai," he toned, coldly. The man winced, rubbing the spot he had been hit, muttering complaints. I glared. Would it be appropriate for me to hit him, too? I snapped to myself. Sesshomaru gave him one last glare and lightly took something out from behind his back.

"Close your eyes," he ordered. I gave him a look that said he was crazy and lightly closed them. Hmmm, looked like I was getting a wedding surprise, maybe it was a dog bone for being a good girl up until now. The puppy softly took my hand before setting something in them carefully and wrapping my hand around it. It was warm from him but still smooth and the slightest bit chilly.

"You may open," he told me. I opened one eye sarcastically before opening both. I felt my heart leap in surprise. A fan sat in my hands, but it wasn't the fan I had given him. Instead, it was a much nicer made fan, better quality that any I had seen before. I stared at him before flicking it open. The wind came to its call within seconds.

"I had Totasai make it. It will help you protect yourself so this Sesshomaru doesn't have to save you constantly." He could hear the smugness in his voice. I stared at him, then at the old man. I felt two and two come together. Was Totasai a sword smith? He had to have been. Sesshomaru wouldn't have let a grungy fan maker in his house. But that would mean… this fan was actually made for a wind demon, not a just a noble human.

Before I knew what I was doing, my arms were around Sesshomaru in a tight hug. His eyes were wide with shock. But I was just so happy. He couldn't have given me a better gift. So I kissed him, figuring that would be the right thing to do since I was supposed to be marrying him. It was just a quick peck on the lips but when I pulled away the puppy looked like he had seen a ghost. I laughed momentarily. Then I smiled my most thankful, fake smile I could at the old man and the puppy both.

A few moments of silence filled the room before they began to talk about the ceremony. Apparently, he would be walking Kagome and me down the aisle. I began playing with my new fan, almost in a dreamy mood as it flicked open and closed. I wouldn't have expected for him to do something as…sweet or thoughtful…as to have a sword smith build me a new fan. He did have a good attitude under all his ice.

Unbidden, a smile touched my lips as I looked at Sesshomaru, or rather stared at him. He just ignored me but it didn't matter.

"You just going to sit there and zone out?" Kagome suddenly asked. I blinked and looked at her.

"Just tired," I replied. Inuyasha smirked and I could tell his mind wasn't very clean at the moment. Perhaps he would make a good target to use my new fan on. I'd use the puppy but it almost made me guilty thinking about using his gift against him when it was given as an unasked for item. "What were we talking about?"

"Naraku is supposedly coming today. Sesshomaru decided to send him an invitation," Kagome explained. My eyes widened before I scoffed.

"He'll probably send an illusion. The coward wouldn't ever come this close to danger. Not unless he already had a plan to trap his opponent already laid. But he doesn't have any allies here," I shot back. The puppy listened to my words carefully before nodded.

"The witch is right," he agreed. Inuyasha laughed.

"You two are idiots," he taunted. "Naraku is cocky enough to come," I rolled my eyes. This puppy was even stupider than the older one. At least the older one could get himself out of messes when he walked into them.

"Oh, do I get to do your hair, milord?" Yura's voice came from the entryway. I turned around quickly. She stood there, smiling with glee. "Or can I do the little doggy's?" Inuyasha's hackles raised with anger. Sesshomaru regarded her with a sharp look. Kagome grinned.

"Hey, Yura," she greeted. "I think you get to do Kagura's hair and my hair," Yura's face fell before the bubbly attitude returned. I sighed.

Only an hour later I sat watching as Yura worked on Kagome's hair gracefully. My hair was already finished and waved down past my shoulders while pleated braids were folded down around the top of my head. It bothered m that my hair was down but if Naraku were to come, this would aggravate him the most. He very well knew that I would never put down my hair until I felt like I was free. Besides, I knew it would make the puppy happy. And it wouldn't hurt for me to be nice, just this once. My hand unconsciously stroked my fan, hidden in my sleeves.

Kagome was getting her done in a similar pattern except it wasn't down quite as much. Her hair didn't seem to be cooperating very much, either. It was refusing to curl up. This could take a while. I put my head on my hand and blew a piece of annoying hair out of my face.

"Are you done with the witch, Yura?" Sesshomaru asked from behind me. I jumped slightly in shock. How the hell did he get so close without me hearing him? I turned, sighing.

"What you have more things to torture me with today?" I asked. He did his half-smile and nodded. I growled underneath my breath. "Let's go then," He didn't respond as he walked out of the room. I quickly followed.

We ended up in another room, where a female dog demon was waiting. She looked at me, sighed and reached into a box behind her. I instantly recognized what she grabbed as makeup. I could have snarled. I wore a little bit of eye liner normally but nothing else. Anything more bothered me to an angering point. I didn't need any of the more drastic stuff, thank you very much. I turned to Sesshomaru.

"Oh, do I get to play with your makeup?" I sarcastically but sicken sweetly purred. "Keep it for yourself, puppy, you need it more than I," He didn't look amused by my comment. He just forced me into a chair.

"Sit," he ordered. I stuck my tongue out at him. But I stayed where I was. I didn't think disobeying would get me out of this. I gently reminded myself I was out to make Naraku mad or jealous and the prettier I was at the ceremony, the better. Anything to kill him. I sat there glowering, however, as the servant gently applied makeup all over my face. Sesshomaru watched with a completely blank face.

When I was done, he nodded to approve the job and sat down next to me carefully as the servant quickly exited with the box of makeup. I wished I could jump in a pond.

"I just welcomed Naraku in," he informed me. I gasped and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Then why isn't he dead?" I spat. If Naraku was dead, there would be no reason to go along with this dumb ceremony. Sesshomaru gave me a flat, your-kidding-look.

"This Sesshomaru cannot attack him unless he attacks me first. It would be dishonorable,"

I stared at him. Seriously, was he doing this? Why wouldn't he just kill the bastard, he had enough reason? I drew out my new fan.

"Where is the bastard?" I growled. If he was too scared to attack, I'd happily kill or aggravate the bastard. Maybe _then_ Sesshomaru would kill him. After all, he would be defending his "wife".

"Relax, Kagura," Sesshomaru chided. "He came and that shows he still wants you. It will be a simple matter to kill him later but you can do nothing more at this point," I hissed but stayed put. The fan went back into my sleeve. The stupid dog and his "honor". But I would wait for him to kill Naraku, at least for now.

The ceremony passed quickly and painlessly, in my opinion. Well, expect for kissing the puppy and making it look real. To my surprise, Naraku had brought the whole family and was there in person. So I had sucked it up and threw myself into the kiss as much as possible. I think I even surprised the puppy by the intensity of it. But I knew the whole thing was pissing off Naraku endlessly. When I finished kissing the puppy, I noticed that Naraku had sent him the deadliest glare I had ever seen.

As we walked down the aisle and into the room for the after party, I carefully wrapped my arm around the puppy in the most loving way I could and sent Naraku the smuggest grin I could muster. I didn't have to wait long for him to come after us. The minute he entered the other room, he found the two of us, the rest of his family following like a bunch of ducklings.

"Congrats, my dear," he half-purred, half-hissed as soon as he saw me. I beamed back at him and snuggled into Sesshomaru.

"How sweet of you to come," I sweetly said back. His gaze narrowed. I saw his eyes flicker to Sesshomaru's face before resting back on mine.

"I'm only sorry my invitation to my wedding didn't come in time for you to come," he shot back. I shook my head.

"I am, too. Where is she?" I asked. He reached behind him and brought forward a woman. To my surprise, she was human or at least she had no demonic feel. I felt Sesshomaru stiffen beside me. The human smiled at Sesshomaru sweetly.

"Sara," he growled. Her smile deepened.

"I can see you know each other, Sesshomaru. So she wasn't lying about that. Too bad I snatched her up before you did, hmmmm?" Naraku mocked. Sesshomaru didn't respond so I cut in.

"Just like it's a pity you weren't able to snatch me up before he did," I shot back. Naraku glared. I saw Byakuya smirk behind him.

"It just means that my dear Sesshomaru will have more trouble to deal with," Naraku sourly replied. I smiled seductively for all I was worth and wrapped myself that much more up around Sesshomaru. I didn't even look at Naraku as I replied. I just stared up at Sesshomaru dreamily, trying not to laugh. This was just too fun.

"Oh yes, trouble," I repeated. I felt Sesshomaru wrap his arm around me. I heard Hakudoshi gag behind Naraku or maybe it was Byakuya. Then I shook my head as if coming around to my senses and turned back to Naraku. His smirk seemed stuck in place.

"I'll be leaving you two alone, then," he replied and walked over to Kagome and Inuyasha. I hid a gagging face as he pecked his wife on the cheek. Byakuya followed him but Hakudoshi stayed where he was.

"Pity Kanna wasn't here to see this. I know she would have loved to see her dear sister finally settle down with someone. My smile froze in place as Hakudoshi walked away smugly. I suddenly found myself wishing for some alcohol. This pretending was getting rather annoying. As if he could read my mind, Sesshomaru snatched a glass of some alcoholic beverage from a passing servant and gave it to me. I accepted it cautiously while he bent down to whisper in my ear.

"Don't leave my side tonight, Kagura," he murmured, tickling my ear. I pretended to laugh and held out my drink before snuggling into his chest. I had to stand on my tippy-toes to reach his ear.

"I wasn't planning on it, puppy-face," I purred back before sliding back, but not before kissing his neck gently. My smirk only grew when I saw Naraku and Co, minus Byakuya, glaring with hatred. Something told me tonight was going to quite fun.

**A/N**: Uh oh, Kagura's acting a tad evil, isn't she? The horrors. Hmmm, but the question is how Naraku will react. Guess we'll have to read and find out (Well, not me but that's cause I have to write it…). Anyways, next update shall be on Tuesday, just so everyone knows. And for once, I know the chapter title; it shall be called _Puppies Don't Make Good Pillows_. Don't forget to review…you know you want to!


	13. Puppies Don't Make Good Pillows

**A/N**: Hi! Thank you everyone for the reviews! The last chappie got the most reviews so far and I'm very happy! So this chapter is extra long! Happy day! I hope everyone enjoys!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 13

Puppies Don't Make Good Pillows…

Almost an hour later, I was forcing myself to stand by Sesshomaru as he talked to the nobles flitting around the room. The conversations were more than boring so I settled for leaning against him and drawing comfort from that. I now understood why he never talked. I would have lost my tongue after sitting through a few days or hours of this, too. The only entertainment I had was when Naraku and his gang decided it was safe enough to come towards us and talk for a few minutes. At least then it was rather fun to pretend I actually was in love with the dear puppy.

So a half-an-hour and two drinks later (I think the puppy had them watered down after a while), I forced Sesshomaru to finally sit down. He seemed aggravated that I did but nonetheless he quickly led me over to the nearest table. Even then, he wasn't half-a-meter away from me. Instead, he scooted his chair right next to mine and settled for wrapping one arm around my waist. The feeling of it made me annoyingly giddy. It had to be the alcohol. I stretched to reach his ear.

"I think I know why you never talk," I whispered in it softly before pulling away. He shot me an odd look.

"And why is that?" he questioned, not even bothering to whisper it back. I hid a laugh.

"You never have anything interesting to say so you don't bother to talk," I replied. His golden eyes were mellow and he carefully reached over to take my half-full glass. He seemed about ready to dump it on the floor bur must have thought better of it, for he drank it down instead. Then he put the glass well out of my reach. I got his meaning clearly and glared at him briefly.

"I know why you're always sarcastic," he said softly. My glare went away although I tried to will it back on my face. Was this some sort of sick humor in his part? One glance at his eyes showed that it was, they were twinkling with mischief. It was quite an odd look for him but I oddly liked it very much. So I decided to play along.

"And why is that?" I inquired, settling my head against his shoulder to stare at his eyes. They were oddly pretty at the moment, sort of an aqueous piece of amber. How had I noticed how beautiful they were before? Oh right, I was trying too hard to avoid him as much as possible.

"You're trying not to get hurt," he murmured. I gasped. How the hell had he came to that conclusion?

"No, it's just fun to mock people, you silly puppy!" I said almost tenderly. But why was I using that tone with him? It made me sick to use that tone, period. It the lovesick annoying girls tone. I guessed I was better pretending at things than I thought. Or it was the damn alcohol. He grunted in response.

"So how are the lovebirds doing?" A familiar voice said. I was suddenly glad the puppy had taken away my drink for I would be choking at the moment if he hadn't. I knew that voice. And it would be the last possible voice that I wanted to hear, especially at my wedding, even if it was a fake. I slowly looked behind me into Bankotsu's face.

"Just fine," I replied icily. Why the hell was he here? I didn't invite the bastard. I had never wanted to even see him again. My parents had been fools when they thought that we could use him to gain influence. He may have been a higher lord in the Southern lands but the guy did never want to join us. Instead, he very much wanted our higher influence to be added to his. As I had found out several months after I had started to court him. And after I had quickly made him close to considering proposing to me. He had been the biggest pain in the ass after I left him high and dry, still following me around like a lost puppy. The bastard had even tried to court Kanna to get back into our family's favor. Or rather to gain our influence when we very obviously made it known we wanted nothing to do with him in the least. He'd send some of his little band to try and sway us, too.

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked. No doubt he had felt me stiffen at the sound of the man's voice.

"An old friend of Kagura's," Bankotsu replied smugly. I was ready to draw my fan on him. I didn't need this pest from the past in my way. I wasn't even certain if this man hadn't been the one to kill my parents, instead of Naraku. Naraku was only my biggest suspect.

"I wouldn't call you that," I hissed back. He just smiled his breathtaking smile that I used to love. The key word was used to.

"Oh, ouch, Kagu," he sarcastically replied. "So, how's Kanna doing? I haven't seen her here," By his smile I could already tell that he knew. And everything quickly snapped into place. I suddenly knew that he hadn't been invited. Naraku must have told him and sent him. It sounded like something the bastard would do.

"Then maybe you should leave and search somewhere else," I snapped back. "Or maybe you could go make out with Jakotsu," His smile was taunting.

"And here I was listening to Naraku say how much you would like me here," he replied. Sesshomaru's grip tightening before he reached for one of his swords. Bankotsu's eyes jumped to his hand. I smirked at him.

"My mate told you to leave," Sesshomaru growled. He didn't even need to finish the sentence. Bankotsu smiled again before walking away towards where Naraku was. I still wasn't happy he hadn't just left, at least he was on the far side of the room, now. I could tell Sesshomaru was annoyed, too, probably because of the man's relation with Naraku. Hmmm, but it was just another good use for the puppy, making annoying ex's go away in an instant.

I smiled up at Sesshomaru and quickly stretched up to softly kiss him on the lips. He allowed it calmly, to my surprise. He even returned the kiss. I pulled away an instant later, murmuring, "Thank you," He simply nodded in return.

Luckily enough, the rest of the night passed quickly, even without alcohol. Somewhere between spending the night with Sesshomaru and the glasses of alcohol earlier, the right combination of the two had provided me with him as a successful intoxicator. He, in some ways, was better than alcohol. For one, I wouldn't have to dunk my head in water as much later tonight and it also made for a much better image. Naraku knew that I kept on drinking to avoid what I didn't want to do, which would have cut through my act even with perfect pretending. Now it would just seem that I had been doing that to avoid the noble's blabbing on, instead of Sesshomaru.

It only seemed to pass in an hour instead of several for the party to end and finally we were allowed by Sesshomaru's pride to leave. He even did the traditional thing and carried me up to the room. But Naraku had been watching carefully as he did so I forced to go along with it. I still had the urge to spit at him that I could walk. That type of romantic thing still made me sick, no matter what. I could have been completely drunk and still have hated it. I took comfort in the fact that Sara had watched with undeniable jealousy when he had, however. I would have to eventually find out what the deal between them was. If she had so much as kissed him…I threw that thought away. Why should I even care? Damn the alcohol, making me think that way.

When we reached the bedroom I sunk into the bed happily. It was extremely comfy at the moment. I watched Sesshomaru carefully, though. I didn't think he meant to carry out the marriage thing entirely but you could never be sure with him. Then again, if he wanted to complete it, who was I to protest? To my half-surprise, he sunk down in his chair and closed his eyes. I rolled mine before sliding out of the bed and hurrying to the bathroom. My guess was he wasn't doing anything tonight. As expected, a wash bucket stood in the corner. I just hoped it wouldn't be freezing.

I quickly dunked my head in the bucket, holding myself down for as long as I could. It was no surprise that I drew out too early, fearing that I was going to accidentally drown myself. Oh well, it was probably too late to induce vomiting, anyways.

Seconds later, my head was back in the bucket, this time a hand strongly gripping the back of my neck. It took only seconds for my lungs to explode with flames and my head to start spinning rapidly. And then my head was out of the water, leaving me to gasp for air seconds before I was re-dunked. The process repeated a few times before it stopped.

"I need a bucket," I gasped when the hand disappeared. It would appear something was left in my stomach, after all. A bucket slid in front of my face moments before everything in my stomach was instantly threw out, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. But it did make my head feel the tiniest bit less foggy. I sunk into my dunker's chest with a sigh. "Thanks," I whispered.

"You're getting this Sesshomaru wet," was his reply. I laughed and quickly squeezed all the water out of my hair and right onto him. I turned to face him mischievously. His expression was sour.

I walked out of the room and sat down on the bed before stripping out of my kimono and into the lightest one I had. I was missing the top to it when he walked out. He didn't even bother to glance at me before changing as well. So I just sat and watched with an amused smirk on my face. A few times he glanced over but didn't talk until he was changed.

"Are you going to finish or just stare, witch?" he asked. My smirk grew bigger.

"No," I replied. "Why, am I making you uncomfortable?" I mocked. His eyes narrowed, but he simply sat in his chair carefully. He obviously wasn't getting my point. And as if I cared if I was half-naked in front of him. For one, we were supposed to be married and two, when you fought with a lot of male demons when you were growing up and there were quite a few times the attacks would destroy parts of clothing the whole embarrassment thing simply went away. Besides, it was a lovely distracting technique when fighting.

He didn't answer, just closed his eyes and rested in the chair again. He shifted around a few times, which let me know I was indeed making him uncomfortable. This was quite entertaining, to say the least. Someone was just a tad bit rigid about what was supposed to occur. So I decided to make him that much more uncomfortable.

"You know, this wouldn't be a good picture if Naraku or one of your servants shows up to check on us," I pointed out. One of his eyes opened carefully.

"Go to sleep, Kagura," was his reply. I smiled and walked over to him before promptly sitting on his lap and draping myself across him. Both of his eyes shot open. "Get off me, Witch," he growled. I simply made myself more comfortable.

"You made me go through this whole marriage thing," I accused, "And I'm not going to let you spoil it with your vanity or whatever," He stared down, looking rather annoyed. But I could see my words making sense in his head. He pushed me off carefully before walking over to the bed and crawling beneath the covers. I grinned when he very deliberately closed his eyes and rolled so he wasn't facing me.

I followed his lead by crawling in the covers next to him and snuggling up to his back. I heard him growl when I did so I snuggled that much closer. He stiffened and I laughed softly in his ear.

"You're being rather cold for a newlywed husband," I teased. This was rather fun in every way. He just grunted, probably trying to ignore me. So I did what I knew he would hate the most. I crawled over him so I could snuggle against his bare chest. He felt his hand attach to my back, ready to shove me away. "I'll just move back," I chided him softly. His eyes opened to glare at me murderously before leaving his hand where it was. I closed my eyes comfortably. My humor was making it hard to fall asleep, however. So I started to babble.

"You know, when I first saw Naraku, I thought he'd be the one I'd be in bed with? My parents made such a big deal over him and he wasn't that bad looking, even. He even seemed really nice and sensitive. But as the night went on, he started to get creepy with his comments, after he got drunk. Suddenly, I didn't want anything to do with him. Then my parents the next day, when he was spending the day, died in a fire. Kanna and I were out at the market when the fire started. You could smell it all the way in the outskirts of the village," I could still see the smoke rising as the villagers began to panic. The village had turned into instant chaos as Kanna and I had rushed home. "When we finally were able to get there, the whole place was in ruins. My parents bodies were in the corner room, which was weird," The fire had started in the middle of the house. Even to this day I didn't think that there was any way that they couldn't have escaped through the window. The fire hadn't even spread that fast. Sesshomaru opened one eye to stare at me, probably wondering why I was bothering to tell him. But he didn't say anything, he just listened carefully.

"I knew they hadn't died in an accident. There was no way that they could have. So I took my little sister and ran to the farthest place that I could. Naraku's face haunted me as we fled and I would have bet anything that he was the one who killed them. But I didn't want revenge, I just wanted to escape. Somehow he caught up with us. He gave us the option of starving to death and living on our own because he had somehow received all the manor's money since he was the closest male relative or to come live with him. I told Kanna we would make it on our own but she agreed to join him. I couldn't just leave her there, not with him, so I tagged along. Things became worse quickly." Even I hadn't imagined just how sick the bastard had been. If I had, I would have just dragged Kanna away from the man by using my authority as the elder sister. Maybe if I had, Kanna wouldn't be dead. I paused, suddenly choked up by invisible tears. Both of Sesshomaru's eyes were now open, the curiosity in them noticeable. I wondered if I could just stop my babbling now. I didn't want to remember the rest.

Silence past for a few moments before Sesshomaru rolled over onto his back, using his arm to bring my head onto his chest. I could feel him slowly playing with a piece of hair. I sighed.

"When we got back to his castle, we found out that one of his servants had run in his absence. Hakudoshi had caught them before they could get very far and brought them back. Naraku called us and his two brothers to him to show us how he punished those who tried to run from him. And we had to watch as he insured that the servant would never run again," I paused and suppressed a shiver at the thought of it. He had made it literally true that he held the poor woman's heart in his hand, a heart that he could squeeze any time and pain or kill her with. I would have rather died than served such a sentence.

"The next day I decided that I wasn't going to do that. I decided to run and demanded that Kanna come with me. She agreed and I came to her chambers the next night, ready to run. Naraku was waiting for me, because she had run right to him and told. His punishment was…harsh but not the same at the servants," That was to my great relief. "I made new plans quickly and waited a week before making another break for it. This time I was ready and I fought Naraku when he tried to stop me from leaving. He broke my fan and punished me once again. By the time I got out of his punishment I knew I wouldn't be able to escape alone and Kanna was now seeing him privately. Naraku sent me on missions to eliminate some of his opponents and I was forced to obey. Months passed and suddenly he decided he was going to try and marry one of us. It was probably going to be Kanna because she was more willing and I would have tried to kill him if he tried to bed me. Then the news came that you and Inuyasha were going to attack and the coward fled," I finished, figuring I didn't need to go on. Sesshomaru paused in playing with a piece of my hair but looked rather content. I sighed, still not knowing why the hell I had decided to babble about that to him of all people. But it wasn't as if he hadn't bothered me about Naraku before. He had probably wanted to hear that all along.

I was finally able to close my eyes, sleep overwhelming quickly. In my defense, this position was much more comfortable than the one before it. Not that I wouldn't have taken a good pillow over the puppy. But I had to admit I felt rather safe where I was. From Naraku or any other danger that would dare present itself. Sesshomaru continued to play with my hair, probably deep in thought. Sleep came quickly.

"Hakudoshi is here," the words murmured their selves in my ear silently. I frowned, deep in sleep, wondering if I were dreaming. Then I recognized the voice that had murmured them and my eyes snapped open in an instant.

It was completely dark outside as well as in the room. I looked to Sesshomaru's face, hoping that I had dreamed the words, only to see his amber eyes reflecting back at me. I felt for my new fan before finally finding it, right where I had hidden it. I probably wouldn't need it but it did make me feel much better. No doubt Naraku had sent that pest to make sure that Sesshomaru were actually married or some other type of that crap.

I stared at the window in expectation, waiting for the brat to appear. Appear he did, spear flashing as he hopped into the room. I tensed up at the sight of him. My fan twitched up to my chest. It was a good thing that I did so, too. For seconds later, the spear blade went flashing down inches from my head, more targeted at Sesshomaru. Without thinking, I moved my head, vainly trying to block his attack and at the same time, moving my fan in front of the blade. Then, with a sickly horror, I realized that my fan probably wouldn't have a chance at keeping the blade from killing me. I could only freeze with terror as my hand trembled with my fan from the force of the blow, waiting for the fan to crack in half.

**A/N**: *hides* I know, it's a horrible cliffy but it is chapter unlucky 13. Don't kill me! Especially when you find out that I'm not updating until next Friday (the 16th). Maybe I'll update sooner but I don't know if I'll have time…. So the next chapter will be …_But They Make Excellent Guard Dogs_. Don't forget to review…you know you still want to because I might just update sooner.


	14. But They Make Excellent Guard Dogs

**A/N**: Hi! So I'm a day early. Happy days! I hope everyone likes the chapter, there's a few twists and we finally find out why Naraku wanted Kagura…

Freedom's Will

Chapter 14

…But They Make Excellent Guard Dogs

_Byakuya's PoV_

Naraku had left the second after the two couples disappeared, first Kagome and Inuyasha, then Kagura and Sesshomaru, quickly fleeing the scene. I followed as quickly as I could, hating to leave for once. Kagura's pretending to be so close to Sesshomaru had been so entertaining. But the part that had bothered me was how quickly Naraku's anger evaporated as we traveled back home. It only took him seconds after the dog's home disappeared to suddenly start to smirk, as if the whole thing had been just a big act.

In my mind, his acting or happiness could only be one thing. He had something up his sleeve I didn't know about. I hoped for Kagura that he didn't. But if my cousin did have plots, I was going to find out about them shortly. He enjoyed bragging about his plans to those of these he thought that were loyal to him. Kagura had been lucky all this time, not having to listen to his rants. It would almost be worth it to make my betrayal plans more noticeable but I was going to get killed just to miss his plots.

"Hakudoshi, Byakuya, I need to speak to you," was the first thing he uttered when we reached the castle. I was immediately suspicious. I just hoped that he hadn't discovered how the two of us were planning to betray him. It was almost too odd that he had called the two of us of, as we were the only ones trying to get away from him, now. I didn't even want to think of what would happen if he did know.

Nonetheless, I was quick to follow him to his chambers, my younger brother trailing behind me slowly. I could sense the worry carefully hidden in his face, too. But neither of us was ready for what lay behind the door.

Goshinki, the mind-reading ogre and Naraku's dirty work minion sat in the room eying us with amusement. I quickly cut off all thoughts in my mind. If Goshinki were to find out anything about our plans, he was sure to tell Naraku in an instant. The ogre grinned evilly when he couldn't find anything from my mind, as if he knew I was hiding something. He probably did, I just hoped that he didn't know what. The doors slammed behind us ominously.

"You three are going to go rid the country of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru," Naraku purred. I blinked but dared not to think about. But I couldn't keep my anxiety for Kagura out of my thoughts. If any of us attacked, Sesshomaru wouldn't be the one who was to be fighting. Or if he was, he would have to go through Kagura to get to the enemy.

"And what of the blushing brides?" Hakudoshi asked sarcastically. He was probably delighted with this plan. He was furious that Sesshomaru had ruined his first attempt at Kagura and had taken Kagura as a bride, beating both him and Naraku to her. Naraku grinned.

"I would prefer that they weren't killed. But only one needs to survive. I only need one," he replied. "It's only a pity that Kanna was killed. She could have murdered them in their sleep, as I told her to. If Kagura wasn't such a fool, she would have played her part and been killed. But she does have her uses," I could only stare at him.

It almost sounded like all he wanted from our cousins was to kill Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Had he been planning this all along? Things suddenly began to click into place. The secret meetings with Kanna, the way that he had taunted the Inu brothers into attacking him, even the way that he had attempted to get Kagura back. He probably had figured that we wouldn't be able to retrieve her from Sesshomaru in the first place. I could only stare at him as he ordered Hakudoshi to go after Kagura and Sesshomaru and Goshinki to go after Kagome and Inuyasha. I was only to capture one of the girls, during a period in the night. I wished that I could have warned them that this was coming.

_Kagura's PoV_

My fan quivered in my hand for a few seconds longer before it sat still, calm and unmoving. I froze in shock, waiting for this to be a joke as I died. What the hell? The wood should have shattered by now, with a blow like that. Only a slight blow had snapped my first fan in half. But…this fan wasn't…made out of wood. This was a demon fan.

A harsh snap whispering through the air cut right through my comatose. I blinked quickly, trying to ward of my realization and shock. I saw Sesshomaru's green whip thing flying towards Hakudoshi as my eyes opened. I was glad that he had been able to react. But of course he knew that my fan wouldn't snap. His hand slid lightly up my hip as I thought.

Then we were suddenly on the other side of the room. Hakudoshi was too busy cupping a hand to his side, a hating expression on his face. I opened my fan rapidly and tried to pull out of Sesshomaru's grasp, which had somehow tightened around me. I was going to kill that little brat for trying to kill me. Besides, I needed someone to test my new fan on. If anything, my trying to pull away made him grip me all the tighter. His free hand slipped behind him to draw one of his blades.

"Inuyasha!" The blood curdling scream echoed through the room, halting Sesshomaru as well as my movements. Terror and worry was clear in the voice. It was easily recognized as Kagome's voice. Hakudoshi just grinned.

I tensed up the same second that Sesshomaru did as we suddenly smelled blood. My nose wasn't that sensitive but I could still tell that it was Inuyasha's. I shivered as I thought of how my new fan had kept from making my blood spill so far. But in any case, this wasn't good.

"Looks like Goshinki is already done. I guess I should try to finish this up quickly," Hakudoshi mocked. My eyes widened in horror at the name. The mind reading ogre was never good news. And Inuyasha and Kagome would both be in danger from his reading. Full-blooded strong demons were immune to his mind reading, excepting Naraku's family, including me. Sesshomaru however would be just fine from the mind reading.

I ignored him to turn and face Sesshomaru. He was staring at Hakudoshi, conflict in his eyes. I stared up at him before tapping his chest.

"Go help Inuyasha. I'll take care of the brat," I ordered him. He gave me a cold look.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't wish to save you too," he said. I rolled my eyes and waved my new fan at him subtly.

"I can take care of myself against the brat," I growled. "Go!" I pushed at him and was finally able to put away. I didn't look at him; I just focused myself on Hakudoshi who was now smirking with amusement. "Dance of Blades!" The wind hurtled towards Hakudoshi, but he simply leaped out of the way, eyebrows raised. I narrowed my eyes, concentrated and tried to curve the blades. They resisted my call, only bothering to turn at the last minute. To my pleasure, they sliced deep into his back.

Pain filled his eyes a blood spattered from his back, along with hate. I felt Sesshomaru's hand leave my waist. He didn't reappear so I assumed that he left. My attention went back to Hakudoshi. He simply stared back before attacking.

Only a few minutes later, we were both panting as we stared across the room at each other in hate. Blood dripped onto the floor from both of us and his weapon and the room was completely trashed. I hoped that the puppy wasn't fond of anything that he been in his room, because everything was broken in several places, even the walls. To my joy, I had been able to match the brat blow for blow and even scoring more hits than him.

"Dance of the Dragon," I called the wind to my fan and attacked once again, thinking to catch the brat off guard. He sliced through the wind aimlessly. My control with the fan was getting better with practice. With any luck, this was the moment that I could finally get rid of the brat and kill him. But he caught me off guard as he suddenly leaped at me, slashing at me. I blocked him quickly with my fan. He seemed ready for it, suddenly changing the direction of the blow.

I winced in pain as he slashed deep into my side, the blood oozing out sluggishly only seconds later. I had to grind my teeth to keep from crying out as it began to burn. I wouldn't give the little bastard that sort of satisfaction. I flicked my fan with my hand, blowing him away across the room. My spare hand went to my side, feeling the liquid spread over my fingers.

"Aren't you two done yet?" A bored voice came from the outside side of the room. My eyes darted to the location. Byakuya sat there, watching the two of us, a flower between his fingers. I shot a glare at him. It just bounced off him.

"Instead of just sitting there, why don't you help?" I snapped. He simply shrugged. I shot a glance at Hakudoshi. It would be just like him to attack when I was distracted.

"I'd love to, Kagu, but I can't," he purred back. Hakudoshi snickered.

"Why don't you just give up?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes. Was he completely stupid?

"Why don't you just betray Naraku already and get it over with?" I sarcastically shot back. He smiled.

"What would be the point of that? Naraku would just come kill us," he replied. I hefted my fan.

"If you want, I'd love to kill you right now and save him the trouble," I snapped back. He glared back, hefting his spear. Byakuya cleared his throat.

"Or you two could try to behave and we can both betray Naraku now. Kagura could work a deal with her dear guard dog and we could stay here until Naraku comes. If he doesn't, we could easily track him down. Either way he loses," Byakuya said. I hissed. Yeah right. I wasn't going to along with that brat no matter what. Maybe the deal would work if it was just Byakuya. But it wasn't. Byakuya suddenly smiled at someone over my shoulder.

"Very well," Sesshomaru's voice came from the door. I turned around as quickly as I could, just in time for him to come behind me and wrap his arm back around my waist. It made me wince in pain when he did. But he wasn't too bad of something to lean into. He was a rather good support, in fact.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I snap-asked him. Had he just agreed to let the little brat stay?

"This Sesshomaru agrees with Byakuya," he replied calmly. "The ogre is dead and my brother is only wounded. There is no reason for either of them to return. If they betray him, the coward will have no allies and will have to attack himself," I growled. It did make sense but I still didn't want to deal with the brat. With any luck, he wouldn't accept the deal.

Hakudoshi grinned, to my despair. "If you're offering it," he said. I could tell that it was a yes. I was ready to send a few wind blades his way. If he was dead, there would be no reason for him to accept. Sesshomaru beat me to the punch, however, for he slowly pried my fan out of my hand and tucked it away. I fought him as much as possible. Unfortunately I had lost too much blood to be much resistance. So I had to settle for glaring as I sank into the puppy, accepting the fact that I had gain two more allies, one of them completely unwanted.

**A/N: **Okay, I hoped everyone enjoyed. I don't know when the next update will be but it should be up next week and if not, the week after that. It will be called _This is Why I Hate My Family._ Don't forget to review… you know you want to….


	15. This is Why I Hate MY Family!

_A/N: Hi! First off, sorry for not updating sooner! I was so busy and then my poor computer crashed! But thank you for all the reviews. I really appreciate it and it helped me write this faster. Anyways, it's a bit of a longer chapter today and I hope everyone likes it._

Freedom's Will

Chapter 15

This is Why I Hate My Family

I glared across the bed in plain anger, my anger plainly directed. It simply evaporated around Sesshomaru, however. In fact, the puppy seemed to be in quiet a pleasant mood. Anyone who actually didn't have a block of ice for a heart would probably be smiling right about now. Why did he have to go and agree to let Hakudoshi stay? And on top of that, give him rooms fit for a high powered lord? The little brat already had an unbearable ego without him adding to it.

In short, I was disgusted at the situation. If only I had killed the brat when I had the chance who knows how much aggravation I could have saved myself from.

"Go to sleep, witch," Sesshomaru suddenly advised. "This Sesshomaru has tasks for you in the morning," I stuck my tongue out at him. With any luck, his words sprung out of an annoyance from my glaring.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you let the brat stay in the room across," I snapped back. "I wouldn't put it past him to try and kill me in my sleep," Sesshomaru almost looked like he was going to roll his eyes at me. Then he shifted across the bed to hold me in the embrace from before we had been attacked.

"Sleep, Kagura," he chided softly. I tried to pull away. I wasn't a child that had just had a nightmare. How dare he treat me like one!

"I can take care of myself," I growled as I struggled. His grip tightened until I stopped struggling. The only thing I could do was hiss softly and close my eyes. Sleep came swiftly as his presence began to relax me.

I yawned and opened my eyes slowly, before trying to stretch. To my surprise, I wasn't able to, for Sesshomaru's arms were still wrapped around me. I turned over as much as I could, only to find his eyes still closed and his chest rising and falling with the steady motion of sleep. I could only stare blankly. Since when did I wake up before him? I had even had an awesome nights sleep, one of the best in ages.

But I was still comfortable where I was. I didn't know how grumpy he was in the mornings so waking him was out of the option. In fact, I was quiet happy with just laying there for as long as necessary. He had to wake up eventually and it would probably be soon. So I satisfied myself with staring at him in sleep, amazed with how relaxed he truly seemed to be.

Now that Hakudoshi and Byakuya were on our side, it would seem that Naraku's end was coming. That also meant that my freedom would be short in coming. I could hardly wait. There were so many lands and places out there that I wanted to explore, to see. I could come and go whenever I wanted and take my time in it. I had all the time I wanted to have until I finally died, probably in a distant land. No more of being tied down by someone else's opinions or goals.

I could almost taste my freedom, but surprisingly enough, it now tasted the littlest bit sour. I flicked the thought off as my imagination. I wasn't going to be drawn into these thoughts again. But they still call cautiously in my mind. How bad would it be to stay here?

"Are the newlyweds still asleep?" Byakuya's voice suddenly shouted in the room. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I jumped the tiniest bit. Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open in an instant, his pose becoming almost protective. Byakuya laughed at our reactions. "I guess so. If I didn't know better, one would have thought you two were up all last night doing what newlyweds are supposed to do. Your brother and his mate are still locked up in his room,"

I scowled at him. "I'm surprised that you're awake, Byakuya," I growled coldly. "You usually sleep as long as possible," He grinned and walked over to throw off the covers. Sesshomaru looked ready to attack him.

"But I wanted to go walk around with my favorite cousin who was being lazy," he replied smoothly. "I thought Sesshomaru would have woken you up by now," I raised my eyebrows and slid out of the bed, Sesshomaru's arm quickly releasing its grip on me. Byakuya backed away with a grin and I walked around him to the closet, where I thought my wardrobe had been moved. Due to the destruction of Sesshomaru's chambers last night by Hakudoshi and me, we had moved chambers.

I held back a scream as I took in the kimono's that hung in said closet. To my horror, my kimono was gone from where I had put it last night after I had found it, only to be replaced by the thick, formal kimono I had worn to the party. My hand tightened into a fist as I snatched it up and walked out semi-calm. I shook it in Sesshomaru's face.

"What the hell is this?" I asked a thin vein of anger in my voice. He was expressionless.

I heard Byakuya chuckle behind me. I ignored him.

"Your old kimono was destroyed last night, witch. I merely had it replaced with a more appropriate one," he explained, as if it was common sense. I could only stare at him.

"I checked it last night," I growled. "It didn't have a single hole!" He ignored me and, quickly avoiding me, walked to the closet to get his own clothes to begin getting changed. I sat and glared at the kimono in my hands. There had to be a village nearby. Perhaps if Byakuya came, I would be allowed to go and get a better kimono. I couldn't move around in this stupid thing, much less fight in it.

"Get dressed, Kagura," Byakuya chided. I shot a glare at him.

"Why don't you wear it?" I spat. He laughed. Sesshomaru appeared to give me a flat stare, fully dressed and back in an unruffled manner.

"Get ready, witch, I don't have all day to wait on you," he toned. I gave him a glare for his trouble.

"Get me a new kimono and I'll be happy to, puppy," I told him firmly. A single eyebrow twitched before his eyes narrowed. I stared back before he began to get on my nerves. With an exasperated sigh, I began to put on the kimono, mumbling curses under my breath as I did.

When I was done, Sesshomaru came over to inspect before pulling the obi tighter. I half-growled, half-gasped as the air went out of my lungs. The puppy was going to die for this. Unless of course, I died from lack of oxygen before I was able to. As he stepped away, I quickly began to bind my hair up. Sesshomaru watched in plain disapproval, eyes narrowed.

I fled from him, catching Byakuya's arm. "Let's go already," I growled. He half-laughed as he escorted me out. Sesshomaru's gaze burned a hole into my back.

I collapsed on the ground by the pond, wishing I could undo the stupid obi just a little bit. Byakuya sat next to me swiftly, crossing his arms.

"Kanna's death wasn't your fault," he said softly. I turned swiftly to look at him.

"No one ever said it was," I replied. What made him bring this subject up anyways? It didn't really matter all that much, now.

"You think it is," he gently interjected. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"No, I don't, Byakuya. I blame it on Naraku. It was his fault that she was even in that situation," I said. He nodded.

"What if I tell you he did it on purpose?" he asked. I stared at him.

"Why would he do that? But then again he does a lot of things that don't make sense, including courting us," I murmured.

"He was plotting it all along, Kagu," I scoffed.

"And how would you know that?" I inquired sarcastically.

"He trusted me, remember. Before he sent us to kill Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, he mentioned that things would have been easier if you died, like you were supposed to. The private talks with Kanna, everything was to kill them. I don't think that he expected for you to be the one to be captured, but rather her," he explained. I stared at him.

Suddenly things began to click into place. The best way to get rid of an enemy was to get inside to them, so you were close enough to kill them without resistance. Kanna and Sesshomaru had similar attitudes, making them seem like a good couple. And if Sesshomaru had thought that Kanna wanted to get away or had nearly killed herself to get away, he would think he had the upper hand. He would have likely proceeded to do the same as with me, until Kanna was alone with him and she could have easily killed him. But I had messed it all up by leaving the castle and getting captured, so that instead of Kanna, they were targeting me. And with Kanna in the way, Sesshomaru had killed her without thought, to get to the person he knew was Naraku's cousin. Had the bastard really been planning this the whole time? But it did sound an awful like one of his plots.

"He obviously doesn't know me very well," I kidded, my voice suddenly shaky. He had probably assumed that my mouth would make Sesshomaru kill me and take Kanna as she was more docile. And when that failed, Naraku had done everything he could to make sure that I wouldn't be able to be captured.

"A good thing, too," Byakuya said his voice serious. I swallowed. The knowledge suddenly made me want Naraku dead that much more.

"That depends on your opinion," Hakudoshi interjected, suddenly coming over to sit on my other side. I shoved away the urge to move when his arm slung itself over my shoulder. "Personally, I would want Kanna alive more than you," I gave him a frosty stare.

"Then why don't you just leave?" I growled. He grinned at me before pulling closer, into my shoulder. I greeted his touch as I would the touch of a poisonous snake.

"Just because I like Kanna more doesn't mean that I don't like you," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Then wanting me dead is just a joke," I sarcastically said. He laughed as though it was extremely funny and tightened his grip until it was uncomfortable.

"Of course not, my dear Kagura, things would be so much simpler with you dead. But for once, your situation has actually helped me so it would probably be a profit for both of us if you live," he explained. I grimaced and removed his arm.

"I have no such feelings, Hakudoshi," I hissed. "Things will stay the same if you're dead and if you're not going to fight me, it makes things all the better," He chuckled.

"But then your puppy would be displeased with you. You might even lose your bed heater as a result," he mocked. I ground together my teeth in anger before tackling him to the ground. I reached for my fan to start battering him around with some wind, only to find it gone. So before I could rid myself of the little pest, I was lifted off him. I tried to fight Byakuya to let me go, but the damn kimono restrained my movements. Only after I managed to score a nice hit in the ribs did I realize I it was actually Sesshomaru.

Within seconds I was calmly tossed into the pond with a splash. I held back a scream as the cold water soaked in. Hakudoshi sat on the bank with a bloody nose that I had managed to inflict, radiating pure smugness. Byakuya seemed to be holding back a laugh while Sesshomaru watched with his half-smile. I crossed my arms angrily and dove deeper into the water, swimming away from all three of them. The kimono was weighing me down as I swam and I considered leaving it before remembering the pink versions of it. If this one was a pain, they were even worse.

So I stalked back to the castle, dripping wet from head to toe, wringing out the kimono angrily. And there were some who wondered why I hated my family.

"Dance of Blades!" I swung the fan around in anger, imagining the dummy was Hakudoshi, or failing that, Naraku or perhaps Sesshomaru. It didn't matter; all three were pissing me off at the moment. I felt the blades strike with pure delight but something was missing. The dummies weren't as pleasing to destroy as a real target. Maybe if I was really nice, Sesshomaru would volunteer as one.

Kagome appeared on the other side of the courtyard, walking towards me slowly. "Who are you so mad at?" she shouted from across it. I lowered my fan.

"The little brat," I said fury plain in my voice. She smiled as she drew out an arrow, stringing it to her bow.

"I thought you were mad at Sesshomaru. I see he made you wear one of those kimonos," she replied as she shot the arrow into a nearby tree, frowning at the effect.

"Apparently my old kimono was ruined last night. I think the bastard really did it to force me into wearing one of these stupid things, though. I dread to think of the poor woman who actually gets married to him," I shot back. She laughed.

"Maybe we can get Inuyasha to escort us into the village to see if we can find a better one for you," she teased. A smile crept up my face, helping some of my anger fade.

"Or maybe we can persuade them that we are capable of going ourselves," I replied.

"But that would require taking off their leashes so they could run around without us," Kagome said in mock horror. I grinned at the image that brought on.

"We could always have the servants give them a bath while we're away," I suggested. She grinned, on the edge of laughing before it faded quickly.

"This Sesshomaru does not need a bath, witch," I turned, my face heating up. He stood nearby, face serious and grave. I opened my mouth to give him some sarcasm before thinking better of it and deciding to ignore him. I sent a wind blade off in silence as Kagome continued to shoot her bows in total quiet.

Sesshomaru moved to stand beside me, waiting for me to send off an attack before copying me and completely destroying the dummy I had slashed to bits. I bit my lip and settled for practicing the Dance of the Dragons, controlling the tornados so that they turned as quickly as I could make them. I felt Sesshomaru's gaze settle on me but I kept ignoring him, letting all my focus settle on the tornadoes, although I wasn't quiet successful. His gaze was oddly enough making me feel self-conscious.

This continued for a few more minutes before I closed my fan and began to walk away. Kagome sent a comforting smile my way as I walked past her. Sesshomaru said nothing but instants later I felt the ground shake as he sent off an attack. To my surprise, it whistled past me with only centimeters to spare. I turned around in shock. He was simply staring at me, frustration in his eyes.

He obviously was not used to being ignored. With a jolt, I realized I had been ignoring him all day, since he had made me put on the stupid kimono. In a way, I found it funny. I had ignored him without a thought and now he was angry at it. I simply shrugged my shoulders at him and walked away. If it was a way to get under his skin, I was happy with it. After all, he seemed to enjoy doing things to get under mine. Payback was sometimes not pleasant, as he probably was now finding out.

"If you're going to look for Byakuya, Kagura, he does not wish to be disturbed," Sesshomaru all of a sudden said. I turned to look at him before continuing to walk away, blankly wondering how much under his skin I could get. "If you wish to practice with the new fan, however, I will fight with you,"

This time I didn't even turn around, instead I just kept walking, a grin appearing on my face. I must have been really bothering him for him coming out with an offer of something to do that didn't involve Naraku. It was really quite interesting. A bit more annoyance probably wouldn't kill him, either. I stopped and turned. He watched in expectation.

"Hey, Kagome, I'm in the mood for a bath. Care to join me?" She looked surprised but nodded anyways. I had to hide a laugh at Sesshomaru's expression. If I had known that ignoring him would drive him crazy, I would have done it sooner. Maybe it would have even prevented the whole marriage plot of his that had no effect but to add Hakudoshi as an ally.

It only took Kagome a few seconds to join me and I quickly started a conversation with her, just to rub it in. She looked as if she disapproved at my mocking of Sesshomaru but I could have cared less. In fact, my angry mood slipped off like a snake's skin as I heard and felt Sesshomaru begin to practice by himself.

_A/N: Poor Sess. I hope everyone liked the chapter and I'm once again sorry that I didn't update sooner. I will try to update by next Friday, if not before. Don't forget to review…you kno_w _you want to…you always you want to (because you love me, right? ____)_


	16. How to Get Rid of Annoying Kimonos

_A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for all the reviews. You guys make me so happy! Sorry for making people worry that the story would be discontinued, I assure you, it won't. Anyways here's the next chapter. I hope everyone enjoys!_

Freedom's Will

Chapter 16

How to Get Rid of Annoying Kimonos

I slowly sank into the hot water until only my nose was above it. Next to me, Kagome relaxed in the hot springs as well, sighing with relief. I could feel the smirk on my lips as I continued to feel Sesshomaru's demonic aura as he continued to practice by himself. The annoying kimono I wasn't able to move around in sat on the ground nearby where I had casually tossed it. I didn't know why the puppy had believed that I would have been able to spar with him in that, if I had been in the mood to spar with him.

I began to wonder if I would be able to leave long enough to go into town to buy a new kimono of my own choosing. Perhaps if Inuyasha or Byakuya came with me along with Kagome he would allow me to go. It was a thought. Unless I decided to go without his permission, which sounded delightful to me. I still had to show him that he still had absolutely no control over me.

"Hey, Kagome. Do you want to sneak into town with me?" I asked. She turned to look at me, surprise in her eyes. I rolled my eyes and gestured to the fancy kimono. She shrugged.

"We should take Inuyasha with us. He'll get worried if we just leave," she explained. I sighed. There went that idea. The point of sneaking out was to go without any supervision.

"I'll just wait, then," I replied. Kagome gave me a suspicious gaze.

"Kagura, it wouldn't be a good idea to go to the town by yourself. It can get dangerous. And what about Naraku? He is still out there. Do you know what Sesshomaru would do if he found out that Naraku snatched you?" she pleaded. I scoffed.

"I can take care of myself, Kagome. Besides, Naraku wouldn't dare come this close to Sesshomaru and he doesn't have any more allies to send after me. The puppy shouldn't be worried about losing his precious bait," I sarcastically replied. She frowned at me.

"If he didn't care, I doubt he would follow you around like he does," Kagome murmured, in a voice I probably wasn't supposed to hear. I stared at her, on the edge of laughing.

"He follows me around so that he can finally get his revenge on Naraku," I rebutted quickly. I shoved away the little part inside of me that hoped what she said was true. Once Naraku was dead, I would leave. That was the end of it. And if I was falling for Sesshomaru, it gave me an even better reason to run as far away as I could as possible.

"Swear to me that you won't go by yourself, Kagura," Kagome interjected. "If you don't I'll make sure that you're watched at all times," I stared at her and leaned back into the water.

"Fine, Kagome. I won't leave without someone with me," I promised, crossing my fingers beneath me. If it would get her off my back, then I'd say anything. After all, I could probably con Byakuya into coming with me. Then I would be fulfilling my promise to her and the dear puppy would have no reason to be worried for me.

"No," was all my cousin replied with. I felt my temper rise. What the hell?

"Why not, Byakuya?" I hissed back. He stared back expressionlessly. It was obvious that he had been spending too much time with Sesshomaru. I couldn't ever even remember a time when he had ever been expressionless and this serious.

"I won't put it past Naraku to have scrounged up another ally since he knows we deserted him by now. He wanted either you or Kagome alive so he obviously still has another step to his plot and you're not stupid enough to fall into it, are you?" he said.

"I know that! That's why I want you to come with me," I shot back. "Or are you saying that if I want to go, I have to have Sesshomaru come with me?" He sighed.

"Kagura, I'm not about to get myself captured by Naraku along with you. You know what he does to those who cross him and I'd rather not met that fate. At least with Sesshomaru, you'd have more than decent protection. Besides, he's the one who had your old kimono tossed, so shouldn't he have to be the one to pay for his crimes," he calmly tossed back, a grin coming to his lips at the last part. I scowled. He had always claimed that the worst torture I could inflict on him was to make him help me choose an outfit. It wasn't as though I was that girly about it, either.

"I want to have fun in town, not spend my time with a block of ice," I sighed. "Would you come if Kagome and Inuyasha tagged along?" This was my last resort. Apparently I was going to get away with only one other person, unless that person was Sesshomaru. I wasn't in the mood to spend time with the one who had let my creepy younger brother become my ally. Byakuya sighed.

"If Hakudoshi comes too," he said. I stared at him before grinding my teeth together. He was really trying to push me into going with Sesshomaru. But I decided to be stubborn with this.

"Fine, Hakudoshi can come as well," I growled through my teeth. Byakuya's eyebrows rose before he smirked in amusement.

"I'll go get them, then, and tell your husband. Wait here," he laughed as he ran away so I wouldn't be able to protest. I yelled a curse at his retreating back, but he ignored me completely. I crossed my arms angrily and sat down. If he came back with Sesshomaru, I was going to kill him.

Within a few minutes, Byakuya was back. No one else was with him. He smiled his prank-playing smile.

"Your request has been denied," he happily said. I glared at him. He had to be kidding me. I was going to kill him in a second.

"Stop playing around, Byakuya," I spat. "Because if you're serious you can go tell Sesshomaru that I left without anyone and see how he likes that," He laughed in response and rubbed my head. I swatted his hand away and began to walk away.

"Stop," he called after me. "Sesshomaru said you could go but only if he comes, too," I paused and looked back. It looked as if I wasn't going to get out of there without Sesshomaru coming.

"Fine," I growled and promptly walked over to the nearest tree to climb up a few branches in order to sit down comfortably. I couldn't help but to smile as I sat, knowing that I had just probably ruined some of this stupid kimono. I stomped on the little voice that believed I was smiling for another reason. That voice was truly starting to get annoying.

"How about this one?" Kagome bubbled as she spun around in a kimono, the first one I had ever seen her in, discounting the wedding. It was blue with light green trimming.

"It looks good," I answered as I flicked through the kimono selections in front of me. All of the kimonos were beautiful in the seamstresses' hut but I had yet to come across on that was me. The boys lounged outside, watching silently. Inuyasha seemed to be enjoying Kagome trying on kimonos and Byakuya was having fun teasing me silently but Hakudoshi and Sesshomaru sat there, looking completely bored. The only exception was when a pretty woman walked and this was only with Hakudoshi.

I continued to go through the kimonos. I had found several okay ones but I wasn't going to try anything on until I knew that they were my last resorts. All of the kimonos so far had been rather bland or with boring designs. But this was the only place in the town to find any and anything was better than wearing the ridiculous one that I presently wore.

In the end, nothing really caught my eye but most of the okay ones fit so I made due with what there was and finally asked the prices. Kagome was still trying some on, with Inuyasha helping her. I nodded as I listened. I had enough with me to pay for all of them. Upon seeing me reaching into my kimono to collect the money, Sesshomaru walked in. I ignored him as he looked through my selections, disapproval clear for him. But he didn't say a word; even as I left to get changed into the one it seemed he disliked the most.

When I walked out, fully changed, he was still sitting there, staring at his brother and Kagome. I smirked as I walked by and casually flung the other few kimonos I had purchased onto him. His gaze narrowed as he folded them over his arm. I held back a laugh. It would seem as though I had found another purpose for the Sesshomaru, my personal packhorse.

I walked away from him, silence from both of us. I was continuing to be pretending to ignore him and apparently he was trying to return the favor. Byakuya watched with silent amusement as I walked over to him.

"What do you think?" I asked. His eyebrows rose. The kimono in question was a dark cherry color with light cream stripes that drifted off into curls.

"Why don't you go ask Hakudoshi?" he finally mumbled. I glared at him. He was really trying to provoke me today, obviously. "Or maybe you should ask Sesshomaru if that prospect is so bad," I stuck my tongue out at him and wandered back into the shop. Sesshomaru left when I entered, as if I had caught the plague.

Kagome was trying on a light green kimono now, with tiny arrows etched in white. Inuyasha seemed to like this one. I walked over to them.

"That looks good on you, Kagome," I told her. She blushed and stared at Inuyasha who gave a tiny 'feh' noise and walked away swiftly. Apparently I did have the plague or some form of it, today. If only it would scare away Hakudoshi, or better yet, Naraku instead of the Inu brothers.

"I like your kimono, too," she replied absentmindedly as she stared at the fabric. "Do you think I should get this one?" I nodded.

"Inuyasha seemed to like it so why not?" She still looked nervous but inquired on the price and the price of one more. She ended up buying both. We walked out together and I quickly took notice of how Sesshomaru had dumped my kimonos on Byakuya. When he saw he me looking with an amused expression, he quickly passed them to Hakudoshi, who glared but upon seeing my gaze took care with them. Kagome simply dumped her extra one on Inuyasha who scowled before carefully holding it.

"Are we done?" Inuyasha demanded abruptly. I rolled my eyes.

"Why, does the city not suit the doggie?" I sarcastically replied. He growled and his hand went to the sword at his hip before Kagome calmed him down. I began to walk back towards the castle. I was already done with all this 'family bonding time'. Things had been so much better when it had just been Kanna and I.

I felt my throat tighten at the thought and I ignored it completely. There was no use in crying for her when I said I wouldn't ever. She would be avenged as soon as Naraku was dead. That was all that mattered. The others dawdled in coming and I left them behind in what seemed to be an instant.

"Rin, get back here!" Jaken's voice interrupted my thoughts seconds before I felt something strike my lower body, almost making me fall over. Jaken ran over the hill a few seconds later, staff waving as I felt the something turn to hide behind my legs. I gazed down to see Rin hiding behind me. I sighed in exasperation. Just what I needed.

"Mistress Kagura, help me," she asked sweetly. Her eyes were pleaded and cute, making it hard to resist. I drew out my fan and opened it as Jaken drew closer.

"Move, witch," he demanded. "Rin shouldn't be out here without Lord Sesshomaru," I waved the fan in front of me like a lady.

"Sesshomaru is a little behind me, imp. Rin will be just fine," I responded. He gasped.

"How dare you not call Sesshomaru by his proper title, witch," he said. I simply took Rin's hand and walked past him, ignoring him completely. I had been over that with him several times and didn't feel like repeating the experience. Rin began to skip as we walked.

"You know, you're not supposed to be out here, Rin," I reminded her as I tucked away my fan. She blushed and looked at the ground. "Why are you?"

"I was hoping I could catch up with Lord Sesshomaru and help Mistress Kagura find a kimono," she shyly said. I sighed. Great, the kid was getting attached already. That would end up to be a knot in my plans, especially if she started to cry or something.

"Sorry, we finished already." I said. She looked disappointed so I quickly added," Maybe you can come next time," A smile quickly replaced her frown.

"Or maybe you can come help me find a new one!" she bubbled. I faked a kind smile. I doubted that I would be around by then.

"Sure," I told her. Her whole face lit up.

"Do you love Lord Sesshomaru?" she suddenly inquired. I could only stare. Where had that come from? And what could I tell her? No, sorry kid, I'm just using him to end a few loose strings before I leave? Somehow that didn't sound like something you should tell a kid. But I wasn't about to say yes because it would come back to bite me. So I simply changed the subject.

"How long have you been living with Sesshomaru?" I questioned her. She stared back silently.

"You didn't answer Rin," she accused. I bit my lip. Damn this kid was smart. Why could she be like every other kid and get distracted easily? I looked away. Did she really want the truth?

"I like him but I don't love him," I finally responded hoping that she wouldn't take it too bad. She frowned but, to my relief, didn't burst into tears.

"I think Lord Sesshomaru likes you, too," she said quietly. "He just doesn't want to show it," I looked at her and stopped.

"And here I thought I had annoyed him into looking forward to my departure. Pity that I haven't yet," I laughed halfway bitterly, forgetting who I was talking to. When I did, I looked down at Rin quickly. She sat there, just thinking.

"I don't think you annoy him that much. Lord Sesshomaru seems happy when you're around," she responded slowly. I scoffed. If that was him happy, I would hate to see him when he was upset.

"That's enough, Rin," I turned around to see Sesshomaru behind us. I hid my surprise, biting my lip discreetly. Where the hell had he came from? It was hardly fair when he could sneak up on you without notice.

"Come on, Rin," I murmured to the little girl and tugged her away in an instant. I meant to continue walking but she resisted, holding me in the same spot. Sesshomaru continued to ignore me.

"You are to stay in the castle unless this Sesshomaru says otherwise, Rin," he scolded. Rin released my hand slowly and bowed her head even more than when I had mentioned it.

"Sorry, Lord Sesshomaru," she apologized. Sesshomaru's eyes didn't even touch her as she muttered it. Unnervingly enough, they didn't leave my face the whole time. It was making me nervous, my lip biting continuing. But I tried to stare back as calmly as I could as.

"You need to start listening to this Sesshomaru more, Rin," Somehow I didn't think his words were for her alone. His staring made me take out my fan to cover half of my face so he wouldn't see my nervous frown. I refused to break eye contact, however. I wasn't about to let him think that I was as weak as to not even me able to stand his gaze. I felt the need to butt into the conversation.

"Why can't she have just a little freedom?" I questioned. Rin stared up at the two of us, finally noticing the very visible tension between us. My look now had a touch of a challenge as I continued the staring contest with Sesshomaru. His were scorching.

"She is unable to look after herself," he replied coldly. It was obvious now that he wasn't speaking of Rin. She could go anywhere on the grounds alone while I had him babysitting me constantly.

"Shouldn't that be her decision," I asked, just as cold. When was he going to learn that I was just fine looking after myself? I didn't constantly need his protection.

"Not when she is not wise enough to make a reasonable one," I ground my teeth together, abruptly snapping my fan closed. I didn't need it to hide from his gaze any longer as fury rose up. I took a step closer to him. He had no right to question my judgment on top of my strength!

"She was completely capable of taking care of herself without you! She didn't need you then and doesn't need you now," I spat at him and poking his chest with my fan. I instantly regretted it because he was probably someone you weren't wise to pick a fight with but I could have cared less. So I smacked him again. "You complain that she isn't capable of watching over herself but the one person who would pose a threat to her, you won't even go chase. Instead, you force her into a situation she didn't ever want to be in and restrict her movements both with your overprotective attitude and the clothes that she is suddenly forced to wear!" His eyes narrowed.

"She should be grateful for this Sesshomaru's protection, as should you, witch," he growled back. His hand came over to grab my hand that held the fan, his grip like iron. I couldn't help but notice he was very carefully keeping his face calm.

"Be grateful for what? You haven't helped me at all! Maybe you think you have but that's obviously your damn pride getting in the way of your judgment," I attempted to pull away but instead I was grabbed by the shoulders and lifted until I was level with him. I glared for all I was worth.

"Then this Sesshomaru won't bother protecting you anymore," he hissed. I smirked.

"Fine with me. Maybe if I annoy you enough it will finally light a fire under your butt to kill Naraku so I can finally leave," I replied sarcastically. His face drew closer but he didn't say anything. The little voice who I hated had the urge to kiss him since it would only be an inch's movement. I wished I could kill it.

He seemed about on the edge of saying something back but suddenly set me down. I began to hear hurried footsteps. They stopped a few seconds later.

"So who's killing who?" Byakuya's voice said. I turned to face everyone else, their eyes wide. I looked down at Rin. She looked calm but I could see the worry in her eyes. I took a deep breath and stepped away from Sesshomaru while neatly hiding my fan.

"What do you mean?" I evenly asked. Kagome frowned.

"We could hear you shouting all the way in the town," she murmured. I felt my face heat up slowly.

"It's nothing," I quietly explained. "We were just…discussing something," With that, I stalked off, my face surely tinged with red. Damn Sesshomaru for making me shout. With the flick of anger, my sarcasm started up before leaving abruptly. I stopped and turned to Sesshomaru. "I suppose that last suggestion wouldn't work, after all, you'd probably melt,"

I didn't wait to see their faces before turning back and briskly walking back towards the castle. But I could feel Sesshomaru's gaze burning into my back. That was more than clear.

_A/N:_ Uh Oh, it's a fight! That can never be good…or can it? We shall see… I hope everyone enjoyed. Next chapter will be entitled _The Plague Must Have Spread…_ and it will be up by next Friday. Don't forget to review…or else the plague will get you!


	17. The Plague Must Have Spread

_A/N:_ Hi! I'm updating early because of all the awesome reviews and because I was anxious to get this chapter out. I really like this one and I hope everyone will enjoy it!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 17

The Plague Must Have Spread…

I carefully watched as everyone else returned, looking down on them calmly from my hiding spot. Sesshomaru glanced up slightly but otherwise took no notice of his presence. I leaned against the tree's core, relaxing. My temper was thankfully under control now, leaving time to analyze my actions and his words.

He had said that he wouldn't protect me anymore, which was just fine with me. I didn't need his help, now that Naraku was far away. This, of course, excluded killing Naraku. That was one thing that I did still need him for.

The only left to do was to wait and see if he would keep to his word on that matter. If didn't protect me anymore that would be just fine with me. Perhaps the fact I had asked for his help was the reason he felt the obligation to protect me so. Dog demons were rather strict with those who they thought were under their protection. I had probably sent out the assumption that I was too weak to even look after myself by asking for his help. The thing was that I had put myself into a situation I couldn't escape with Naraku, to a point where I needed some help. But I was in no way a typical damsel in distress.

I slowly picked a leaf off the tree. Sesshomaru probably believed me to be an ingrate, now. I ask for his protection before I yelled at him for it. I was confusing the poor puppy immensely, it would seem. Someone who was much less stubborn would have apologized. I wouldn't unless I had to. It was also partly his fault for taking helping me too seriously. I couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with what Rin had said.

She had said that he had seemed happy when I was around. But he had no reason at all to do something like that. I had been annoying and plotting against him the whole time so why would he even like me? The whole point of me acting normal was to prevent that. After all, he was on my side already and I doubted he would go back on a promise. I didn't need him to like me, just to kill Naraku. Or could it be that he actually had a side attracted to me, as I did him? I scoffed to myself. Yeah right. Rin had to be wrong about him being happy around me, unless it was because he thought Naraku would die soon.

I stretched out on the tree branch as much as possible, turning my thoughts to better things. If Sesshomaru wasn't so protective, I would have my freedom, up to a point. I would still linger around him, however. Not because I liked him or anything but to keep Naraku off my back. I could fly to nearby villages and get better kimonos or find an awesome place to do nothing but stare at the stars. Or better yet, I could go in the sky until I could almost touch the stars and relax there. I smiled. Maybe I could even convince Byakuya to do something fun with me. The future looked bright.

To my delight, the next day Sesshomaru left to attend matters somewhere else. I hadn't bothered to see where. All I knew was Sesshomaru was gone but not to kill Naraku, unfortunately. That was the only possibility I had cared about. There were so many places to go nearby that I knew that I would be visiting. I doubted that Naraku would come out of hiding, in any case. He was too much of a coward to come near Sesshomaru's territory. And with no allies, I would be safe from any attacks.

The weeks passed quickly in Sesshomaru's absence. Inuyasha and Kagome were gone a lot and it would seem that Byakuya took a liking to Rin. The four of them often left together to go some place or another. In short, without Sesshomaru everyone had the freedom to do whatever.

I visited hot springs and villages often before I left to hide in the nearby mountains, simply to feel the wind whistle around me as I stared at the valleys beneath. When I didn't feel like leaving the safety of the castle, I would fly up to the very top, which was inaccessible in any other way and spend my day in the sun. It was quite the good life. Until one day.

I lay on the top of the roof, watching the clouds drift by peacefully, my mood excellent. Sesshomaru would be back at the end of the week but I was in no hurry for him to return. If I could still use him and not have to deal with him, as I did now it would have been a perfect arrangement.

Byakuya was in the gardens with Rin, helping her pick flowers to put in Hakudoshi hair (to his displeasure and to mine when they suddenly chose to pick flowers for me) while Inuyasha and Kagome were locked in a room together without anyone wanting to disturb them. None of the four wanted anything to do with me, lately and that was just fine with me. I closed my eyes slowly.

I had to admit, part of me did miss Sesshomaru. He was quite fun to annoy and mock, especially to his face as he did nothing often. I also missed the security his presence had.

The longer he was gone, the more I got the feeling I was being watched. Such was the reason I had decided not to leave the castle until he returned. It wasn't that I couldn't protect myself but rather that I didn't want to deal with a confrontation with anyone. There was also the feeling that it was possibly Naraku watching which was enough to raise the hairs on my neck.

Suddenly my sun was blocked out. I open my eyes, expecting to see a cloud blocking the precious sunlight only to see a figure sitting on the edge of the wall. I sat up abruptly and stared in annoyance at who I thought to be my cousin.

"Will you move?" I snapped, grumpy at the loss of sunlight. Silence greeted me before the figure jumped at me suddenly. I had my fan out in an instant, barely getting it out in time to whisk the person away with a gust of air. The figure rebounded quickly, a blur as it ran to few feet away. They simply sat there in silence as I felt my eyes widen in recognition and horror.

Juroumaru sat there watching me cautiously. I ground my teeth together in anger. I had completely forgotten him as an ally of Naraku because it truth, he wasn't. The mercenary may have been related but he owed no loyalty to anyone or anything. The only exception was Kageroumaru, the demon who lived within him.

It had been years since I had seen either of them, back when my parents still lived and used him to kill an enemy. I had the same thoughts then as I did now, I wouldn't ever want to him trying to kill me.

"Come out, Kageroumaru," I shouted, holding my fan tightly. Juroumaru's mouth open, releasing the little demon that quickly flew out at me. He was a blur, just like Juroumaru had been as he attacked. My fan barely caught him to send him backwards before he reached my midsection. I gritted my teeth as he landed. He grinned at me happily.

"Naraku paid us very well to kill you," He simply said. "Juroumaru enjoyed the prize," I glared as I block any thoughts of what their prize had been. "We were glad that he sent us instead of Kanna," I laughed at his last bit.

"Kanna's dead. Naraku tricked you as usual. He probably won't even give you your after prize," I told them, craftily trying to sway them into not trying to kill me. I had to admit that both of them would be too much to handle at once. I thought about shouting for help or running but quickly dismissed such thoughts. Sesshomaru would be delighted to know such a thing, especially after I told him I could take of myself. At least if I died I wouldn't have to face the puppy in a smug mood.

Kageroumaru laughed at my response. "He already gave us everything so we wouldn't know where he was hiding. Now why don't we get this over with? Juroumaru and I are hungry," I lifted my fan, eying them carefully. If I could get one of them off my back long enough to kill the other, there was a chance I wouldn't get killed. Juroumaru would be easiest to trap for he wasn't very bright and I could probably do it with a Dance of the Dragons.

My plots were cut off as Juroumaru leaped for me once again, Kageroumaru waiting for me to be distracted. "Dance of Blades!" The blades sliced through him slowly but didn't slow him down as his claws ripped through the sleeve of my kimono, teeth reaching for my neck. I pushed him away with a gust of wind just in time for Kageroumaru to attack. I barely avoid a nasty bit through my hand carrying the fan.

I quickly did Dance of the Dragons to keep Juroumaru in the same spot. I didn't expect for Kageroumaru to join him in the whirlwind. But in a way this was better. If they were both trapped, I could send some blades into the tornado and slice them both to tiny little bits. I smirked as I carried out such thoughts.

I felt my blades slicing through flesh as they were accelerated into the wind. I stared at the whirlwind in delight as I felt my energy draining with the effort of controlling the wind with two things at once. I would wait a few minutes longer and release it. I wanted to be sure the two of them were dead but I also didn't want to pass out while trying to slice them into nothing but paste.

Something cut through my lower abdomen as I watched, making me loose the wind completely as I slumped over, my free hand reaching down to cup my blood that suddenly began to slowly ooze out. I saw Kageroumaru sitting nearby, swallowing something with delight.

Juroumaru keeled over when the whirlwind left him, slashed into ribbons of flesh in some areas. I forced myself to stand even though I was still woozy. My body burned with protest, pain threading through my mind. I shoved it away.

I wasn't going to die here, not going to let the puppy or Naraku know the joy that I wasn't able to defend myself. I stared at Juroumaru, ignoring Kageroumaru. If I killed Juroumaru perhaps it would also kill Kageroumaru. I sent a Dance of Blades in his direction, thick enough to slice him in half.

At the same time, Kageroumaru rushed towards me, trying to kill me before my attack reached his counterpart. I blocked him with my fan quickly, hoping it would defend me against him long enough. It was and instantly later, Juroumaru was dead.

Kageroumaru leaped away from me, anger in his eyes. I stared at him, not close to dying in his present condition. Why had he not died? But I wasn't able to dwell on such thoughts as he went after my chest area. I blocked him again and sent him away.

A Dance of Blades followed him but he dodged them easily. My vision began to blur slightly as a result of my injury and using so much energy up. If I was going to kill this little pest it would need to be soon. He disappeared from sight as I thought it. I cursed as I looked around.

He appeared almost underneath me. My fan blocked him again, this time the top part down. For an instant, I thought he was simply going to crush it and then kill me. But instead, the edge of the fan cut him, surprising him enough for me to send out a single wind blade, killing him.

I stared at his broken form for an instant before closing my fan, silently thanking Sesshomaru. Any of my other fans would have been trashed and I would have been dead. This was the only protection that was useful from him, so far, the only protection I wouldn't dream of not yelling at him for.

I began to sway in my spot. For the first time since Kageroumaru had ripped through me, I looked at my wound. I flinched at the sight of it. A little higher and he would have taken out an organ that wouldn't have been able to live without. I was probably lucky.

I grimaced as I took out my feather and used it slowly get off the roof. My control was shaky as I did and I almost fell off the feather several times. When I reached the ground finally, I simply collapsed. Even the thought of Sesshomaru's smugness couldn't make me stand or even move. My vision began to grow black as I stared in front of me, my hand clenched tightly around my fan.

Someone began to shout my name, but I hardly took notice of it. A light glinted at me from the edge of the forest and I thought I saw a flash of white accompanying it. "Kanna?" I whispered seconds before everything went completely black.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a room I didn't recognize. But the décor of the castle was plain and obvious. I sat up in an instant, knowing that my wound was healed. How long had I been unconscious? I hoped that Sesshomaru had yet to return. I'd rather he didn't know about my passing out in the middle of the grounds although he'd be sure to find out later.

I slid out of the sheets and began walking to the hallway and to the chambers I shared with Sesshomaru. Before I got there, I ran into Byakuya who caught me in a second.

"Kagura?" he asked before realizing it was truly me. I scowled at him. "You shouldn't be up yet," he chided. I scoffed.

"I'm just fine, Byakuya. I just needed to heal," I protested. He simply grabbed my arm and towed me back to the room, ignoring my complaints.

"You were seriously injured, Kagura," he told me. I tried to block out the sound of his voice. "It's not going to hurt you to rest a little longer,"

"I'm not a porcelain doll," I informed him. He sighed and stopped to look me in the eyes. I stared back at him.

"Kageroumaru almost killed you. Sesshomaru even left the Lord of the Eastern Land's territory early when he heard. He'll be home in a few hours," I blinked and pulled away.

"Who the hell told him I was hurt?" I hissed in anger. Damn it! If anything, this made things worse. Sesshomaru had to know that I would end up just fine so why did he leave early? It wasn't as if I had actually been that close to dying, in any case. I knew demons that had lived through much worse.

"I thought he should know that Naraku tried to have you killed while he was away," Byakuya explained. I ground my teeth.

"I handled it just fine, Byakuya. Both of them are dead and I'm not!" I spat at him. He sighed melodramatically.

"And you almost joined them," he argued. I crossed my arms, thinking about whacking him.

"I'll be out in the gardens," I growled and stalked away. I instantly went into the cherry tree and went to the upper branches, letting it hid me completely. If anyone want to find me that badly they could wait until Sesshomaru returned. I relaxed against the core calmly. I was just fine with waiting for Sesshomaru to come find me when he returned. A part of me was exited for him to return and eventually that part of me overwhelmed the annoyed part.

I waited for what seemed to be forever, thinking about everything before I decided to just close my eyes and relax, listening to the wind silently. Only a few minutes later, I felt weight come to rest upon on my branch. My eyes snapped open in an instant.

Sesshomaru sat on the branch in front of me, staring. I stared back, filling my eyes. As much as I wished for my annoying side to be crushed, it was overwhelming at that moment. I was simply caught up in the flood of its happiness although I made sure not to show it. He didn't say anything; instead he seemed content with simply staring at me. After a while, I tired of it.

"I don't know why you came back," I told him. "I'm just fine, as you can see. I didn't need your help at all," He was expressionless. I sighed and looked away, watching the leaves sway on the tree.

"You are coming with this Sesshomaru next time he leaves," My gaze whipped back to Sesshomaru with a red hot glare. I felt my temper rise.

.

"Why?" I spat. "They killed demons almost as strong as you. If anything, that shows I can take care of myself," he moved closer.

"You worried Rin," he said. "This Sesshomaru doesn't need her to be upset over you getting hurt," I could only stare. But then a thought occurred to me that made a smirk come to my face.

"Was it Rin who was worried or you?" I asked boldly. He simply stared back.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't care about you getting injured, witch," I smiled back. It would seem to me that he referred to himself as this Sesshomaru when he was trying to distance himself from someone or something.

"Then why return? Rin would get over it eventually and she can't annoy you if you're miles away," I shot back at him. His eyes narrowed.

"That is none of your business, witch," he responded. I sighed.

"Well, this is going nowhere," I said as I slid off the branch and began to descend from the tree. I hit the ground only to find Sesshomaru already standing beside me. I pretended to not see him as I walked away and to our chambers. He followed like a lost puppy dog.

I felt my heart freeze when I opened the door of the chambers. On the bed lay a single white flower, dew drops on it staying on place as if frozen. I stopped at my first step in the room as I recognized it.

A few months before our parents had died I had given Kanna a flower almost identical to the one lying on the bed. She had found it at the market but hadn't had enough money so I secretly bought it for her. I gave it to her the next day and since then it had been her single most prized possession. She had been wearing it the day she had died although I thought it had been destroyed my Sesshomaru's attack.

My lip trembled as I stared at it. Kanna's laughing face when I had given it to her haunted my mind silently. I didn't even realize I had moved until I was cupping the flower tenderly in my hands. It was warm in my hands as if someone had just had it in a hand. Nearby where it clasped shut, I felt something odd. I turned it over in my hands.

A narrow piece of parchment was wrapped around the clasp. I felt my finger tremble as I silently loosened it from the flower. Kanna's handwriting shone from it as I began to read.

_Kagura_, it read,_ I return this to you. You have betrayed our dear cousin and I cannot. I still love you but we can no longer be sisters until you come back to me._ I felt my throat constrict as I read it. This had to be trick of Naraku. Kanna was dead. She couldn't have written this, anymore than my sight of her earlier had been a delusion.

I blankly felt the tears began to roll down my cheeks as I rolled the parchment back up. Damn Naraku for doing this to me. He really crossed the line with this. I wasn't going to let him play with my emotions like this. I began to throw the flower and the parchment out the window before only throwing the parchment. The flower I tucked into my obi, to remind me of why I hated Naraku so much.

I turned to the door, feeling hollow. I needed to find Byakuya. He would know what to do and would probably have some alcohol somewhere. I bumped into someone at the door and before I could stop it, I began to cry into that someone, unable to contain it. An arm wrapped itself around me uncertainly before I was picked up and set on the bed, still sobbing into their chest. Only after I had completely soaked their kimono and finished crying almost in the morning, did I realize it was Sesshomaru.

_A/N:_ Poor Kagura…Naraku is quite cruel with this isn't he? Or maybe it's not him. I guess you will have to read and find out, huh? The next chapter will be entitled _How I Hate the Smell of Wet Dog_ and will be up before or on next Tuesday. Don't forget to review…it may make me update sooner.


	18. How I Hate the Smell of Wet Dog

_A/N:_ Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Not much to say today so I'll let you read the new chappie. Hope everyone enjoys!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 18

How I Hate the Smell of Wet Dog

When I finished sobbing into his shoulder, Sesshomaru just watched me silently, calm. I stared at him, in disbelief that it was so late and that he had even let me do that. His kimono was completely marinated by my tears and he seemed not to care. But it meant nothing at all.

I had put him in a situation where he could have either shoved me away and been seen as an uncaring noble or just let me cry into him. As it was, I was halfway ashamed to have shown him my tears.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," I muttered, referring to Naraku. Sesshomaru looked at me in what I thought to be confusion. I bit my lip subtly but didn't explain myself in the least. Let him make of it what he wished.

I turned away from Sesshomaru, staring at the wall behind the bed. I felt him reach to where I had put Kanna's flower and carefully drew it out. I ignored him for a second or two before turning to look what he was doing. I didn't want Kanna's flower to be destroyed because of him.

He sat there, turning the flower around in his hands, his face thoughtful. I wondered if he noticed Kanna's scent on it or if he was just looking at it because it had sent me into tears on the sight of it.

"It was my sister's," I told him out of the blue, half-wondering why I did. He could probably tell from the scent all over it. He turned to face me, still as calm as before.

"She was at Naraku's castle," Sesshomaru observed. He left out the fact that he had killed her. The question was if that was intentional on his part or not. I doubted that he would apologize for it, in any case.

"Your attack hit her when she was trying to kill me," I reminded him softly. He looked surprised or at least his eyes showed the smallest ounce of surprise. It would seem I was getting better at reading his expressions, in any case. He also looked almost, guilty. "Thank you," I added. His eyebrows actually rose at that.

"You're thanking me for killing your sibling?" I nodded slowly, unbelieving. I doubted that I would be there if he hadn't. And, in a way, it was better for Kanna that she had died. That way Naraku wouldn't be able to control her any longer, as much as he pretended to.

"If you hadn't, I would be dead. I wouldn't have been able to kill her or hurt her myself but she wouldn't have stopped unless Naraku said so," I explained, in shock that I was saying such a thing. Why was I even thanking him for doing that? I blamed it on the part of me that actually liked Sesshomaru. Unfortunately, it would seem that it wouldn't leave after crying into him. The rest of me was in too much shock and grief to even react.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as if he suspected me to be fooling him. "This Sesshomaru accepts your thanks," he said. I hid a growl. Did he have to be so arrogant about it? But while I was thanking him, I might as well get everything out so I didn't have to later. I ground my teeth together.

"And thank you for lending me you shoulder," I told him. For a second he looked annoyed but it passed quickly. "Byakuya wouldn't have appreciated me to be sobbing into his all hours of the night," Sesshomaru didn't answer but nodded, crossing his arms.

We faded off into silence for a few minutes before it was too much to deal with and I walked off, ready to get dressed and ready. Luckily, I didn't need that much sleep or else the no sleep thing would have been a bad thing. I had drifted off and on during the night, however. It would have to do.

I heard Sesshomaru rise behind me, probably deciding to follow my example to get ready. Instead, I felt him come up behind me, arms on my shoulders.

"This Sesshomaru wants to show you something," he whispered in my ear. "Get ready and meet me at the gates," he then pulled away suddenly. I stared at his back as he walked away, out of the chambers. I wondered about his words as I began to get dressed.

I sat by the gates patiently. It figured that Sesshomaru wasn't there after he told me specifically to come basically quickly.

My hair was being quite annoying as it waved down past my shoulders. I had decided to wear it up today, just in case this was Sesshomaru's way of tricking me into meeting a bunch of nobles. And if it wasn't, well, I knew Sesshomaru wouldn't mind it. It was also one less thing for him to pester me about if this was going to be an all day thing.

I couldn't help but wonder what Sesshomaru wanted to show me today. If it wasn't nobles then what was it? And why would he take me, of all people, on an outing if it wasn't a trick? Just as long it wasn't a trip. I was prepared to spend a single day with the puppy but not any longer. I might just go crazy if I had to.

At last, he appeared, calm as ever as he walked towards me. The little toad was with him, making my lip curl in distaste. Great, as if dealing with the puppy wasn't enough for one day was going to have to deal with the imp as well. The dragon from the journey from Naraku's castle also accompanied them. Surprisingly enough, Rin wasn't in their company.

Sesshomaru was calm as he walked over to me, eyes drifting over my hair in what I thought to be approval. He didn't seem to like my choice of kimono, however. Something about the teal dotted with creamy leaves didn't sit well with him. But that may have been because it wasn't one the fancier kimono's he seemed to like on me.

"You may ride on your feather or Ah-Un," he told me. I answered that by drawing out my feather. He simply rose into the air and flew away. I quickly followed with Jaken riding Ah-Un behind me. For the first time, I noticed he carried a simple basket along with his normal staff.

I drew closer to Sesshomaru until I was right next to him. "Where are we going?" I asked with a hint of suspicion. He looked at me without expression.

"You'll find out soon enough, Kagura," he replied. I hid a sigh. I hated to not know where I was going.

"I can hardly wait," I replied sarcastically. "What brought about this change?" He stared at me.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked calmly. I leaned back on my feather to stare at the clouds.

"Since when was I allowed out of the castle and able to fly myself?" He didn't answer right away. I settled for trying to figure out what the clouds looked like while I waited for a response.

"Don't be foolish. This Sesshomaru never said anything of the sort," I scoffed and tested the air around me. It really was a beautiful day, one of the best in a while.

"You might well as have," I rebutted. "Every time I try to do something you follow me around," He grunted in response.

"This Sesshomaru only wished for you not to get re-caught by Naraku,"

"I told you I could handle myself," I spat back, my temper rising. If he was going to bring that up, today would not end up to be that pleasant.

"You came to this Sesshomaru for help and he only wished to make sure he was fulfilling his duty," he pointed out. I sighed.

"Next time don't assume that someone who needs help can protect themselves," My gaze drifted towards him. Our eyes met as he nodded ever slightly. "How far away is this place, anyways?"

He smiled his half-smile that didn't reach his eyes or all his mouth. "Be patient, Kagura," he replied. "It is only a few minutes away,"

I sighed and lean against the back of my feather. At least he wasn't treating me as if I was helpless, now. I could feel his gaze on me but I ignored it as my hair flicked around my face in the wind.

I fell in the flowers, as they gently waved in the wind, calm as could be. The yellow wildflowers covered me until I could hardly see out of them. A small smile danced on my lips. Sesshomaru stood a few meters away, watching.

His surprise had turned out to be a meadow in the middle of the trees that waved with a sea of wildflowers. I thought it to be Rin's favorite place but when I had asked him, he didn't even reply. As it was, I liked this spot.

I sat up abruptly, making bees buzz away angrily. I ignored them as I turned to look at Sesshomaru. His face was calm as ever as he sat amongst the flowers. A light breeze blew through the meadow, making his hair wave through the wind like a bunch of flower blossoms caught on the wind. I looked away to stare at the sky.

The clouds still passed around us, some of them tinted gray like rain clouds. I smiled at the thought of rain. That would make this day almost perfect. All thoughts of Kanna and Naraku fled like a passing cloud.

Slowly I picked a light orange blossom and walked up to where Sesshomaru sat, watching the flowers dance in the wind. With a miscivious smile, I slowly tucked it into his hair. He immediately touched it, holding it between two fingers. For a moment I thought he was going to take it out. Instead he gave it a glance and left it where it was.

Watching the flowers took up all my attention from then on. They waved back and forth, calm and relaxing. I felt the wind whisking them back and forth, a light kiss for each one. It was a complete different feeling of wind than I was used to, now.

I could remember a time oh so long ago that I felt the wind like this but it had been so long ago, from before my parents had died. This kind of wind wasn't useful to attack or defend yourself with but it was a great thing to relax to.

For the first time in a long time, I felt completely free. I had felt free when Sesshomaru had left but it was tinged with worry that Naraku was going to attack at any moment. As it was, with Sesshomaru sitting right next to me, I knew that I would be safe. I stared at the flowers as I continued to think.

As annoying as the puppy was, somehow the annoyance I felt for him was slowly disappearing. Even though I hated it, I was slowly adjusting to this life. And somehow, the side of me who wanted to simply stay where I was and with the people I was with now, was beginning to become more and more appealing. But that was pure foolishness. It didn't help me shake the thoughts, however.

Sesshomaru suddenly stood up and began to walk away. I didn't move, which made him gesture for me to follow. I grumbled while making my muscles move enough for me to stand and cautiously following him. To my surprise, Jaken trailed behind with the dragon, grumbling about me.

I was annoyed about having to move but that feeling dropped away when I saw the river. Sesshomaru dropped down near the edge but I went further than that. A few rocks lined the middle so I jumped across them until I reached the tiny island made of rock. Around me, the river raged, fish swimming lazily within it, resisting the call to be carried downstream.

I heard Jaken call my name in annoyance but I ignored him as I sat down. On the bank, he was taking things out of the basket. I guessed it to be some type of food but I found the water to be much more interesting as it babbled around me on all sides.

It was only my nature of being a wind demoness that kept me there on the little island while the sun began to sink behind the horizon. Jaken called me angrily several times while I sat there but was obviously too scared to come after me myself. Sesshomaru just sat there, watching me, deep in thought.

By the time the light had almost fled from the land, my feet dangled in the water, letting the cool water run along them. At this time, Sesshomaru called my name. I looked across at him, the basket packed up. It took me only seconds to jumped back over to their bank, a peaceful smile on my face.

"Yo," I said to Sesshomaru. He gave me an unreadable glance.

"We're leaving," he said before quickly taking flight. I gave one last longing look at my island before following him swiftly. A yawn escaped my lips as I settled down next to him in the air.

"We should bring Rin next time," I told him.

"This Sesshomaru was planning on it, Kagura. Rin was already disappointed she was not allowed to come today," I smiled.

"I'm sure the kid likes that place. I fear we might be covered in flowers if she comes, though," I joked. He eyed my feather.

"Move over," he ordered. I rolled my eyes.

"What, you too lazy to fly yourself?" He scowled and simply slowed down until he could jump on behind me. I stretched out beneath his feet, taking up as much room as possible. He stared down before sitting, only halfway on the feather. I held back a laugh before it came anyways.

"Oh, look, the puppy has outgrown the feather. Maybe he needs a bigger one," I mocked. He picked up my head while scooting forward until my head lay on his lap. I adjusted until I was comfortable but could still Ah-Un in front of us so I knew where I was going.

"You seem in a good mood," Sesshomaru observed blandly. I grinned and found my fan, flicking it to cover half my face. I fluttered my eyelashes sarcastically.

"How ever could I be in a bad one when I spent the day with a slightly warmed up ice block? Not freezing puts a girl in a good mood, don't you know?" I replied as dramatically as possible. His lips twitched. My grin grew. Had I almost just made him smile? "I'm just surprise that the ice block hasn't turned into a puddle by now. After all, by all accounts I should be wet,"

As if my words had signaled it, it began to pour down rain that the clouds had been holding all day. The rain droplets reflected the orange, red, yellow and blue sunset, making the sky colorful. I sat up and started laughing as I caught some of the drops in my hands. I turned to Sesshomaru and found him sitting there with a pleasant face on. I decided I liked it immensely before quickly giving him a quick peck on the lips. His expression afterwards only helped improve my mood.

_A/N_: Aw, aren't they cute? For once they're not fighting! Fluff chapters are so fun to write! But I'm in shock at how long this story is getting. I thought it would be over by now. Instead, we still have a while to go. In any case, the next chapter will be called _The Annoying Side Advances_ and I'm thinking it will be some more fluff ;).


	19. The Annoying Side Advances

_A/N: _I'm so so so so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I just moved and on top of finals, I haven't had much time to write. Because I feel so bad, here's an extra long chapter. Enjoy!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 19  
The Annoying Side Advances

I laughed happily, wringing water out of my hair as I tucked my feather back into my obi. It felt so odd to have my hair down and wet. But it was also entertaining. After all, if it wasn't down as it was so I couldn't have tried to fling water out of it onto Sesshomaru. To my delight, he had been the one who was more soaked in the rainstorm, leaving me simply damp.

My fan came into my hand and I turned slowly to Sesshomaru. A wicked grin came to my lips. "Does the puppy want to be dry?" I asked. He gave me a blank stare.

"I'm fine," he responded, almost coldly. I laughed.

"Oh, is the great Sesshomaru scared of a little wind?" I mocked. And here I thought he was melting. Apparently once someone other than me was around, he froze right back up. What a pity, it had been so much fun when he was only partially frozen.

"This Sesshomaru simply prefers not to have windswept hair," he replied calmly. I scoffed and fanned myself softly. Excuses, excuses. How typical of him to turn back into an ice block. All the water than had fallen simply seemed to be turning into ice upon him.

"So feminine of you," I taunted. "But I do fear you might get frostbite if you let all the water freeze upon your person. If you do get sick, I certainly shall not be the one taking care of the poor puppy," To my surprise, he sighed.

"This Sesshomaru won't get sick and if doesn't expect you to do anything if such a thing happens," he growled. I rolled my eyes. This wasn't going anywhere at all.

"Whatever," I retorted. "Now before you ruin my good mood with your negativity, I'm going to go find someone who is more enjoyable to spend my time with," I began to walk away.

"Rather than wasting your time, witch," he droned from behind me, while following slowly. "I suggest you start getting ready for the trip to the Eastern Lands,"

I stopped and turned around. He stared back silently, eyes cold and in a way, angry. I felt a shiver of fear go down my spine at the expression.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I demanded, less forcefully than usually. His stare was absolutely unnerving at the moment. I thought about turning around and walking away, hoping to mask my fear with an excuse to leave but my pride wouldn't let me. I wasn't about to let just his face send me fleeing. The thought was extremely tempting, however.

"Your foolishness cut my meeting with Ryokotsusei short. This Sesshomaru must return to the Eastern Lands to complete it and will not listen to Rin's worries over you again," he states, eyes drilling into mine. I turned away, unable to take it. No wonder Naraku hadn't wanted to mess with this guy, his anger was unbearable to run from. Normally I would have made a sharp retort but fear chased away my words. I just wanted to get out of there.

"Whatever," I responded and quickly walked away. There was no way I was stupid enough to argue with him in such a mood. It would be like going up to Naraku without my fan and asking to fight him. I began to wander aimlessly around the castle grounds.

Shit, the puppy could be scary. What was up with his mood swings? One minute he was relaxed and almost happy, then he was cold and then completely pissed. It didn't make sense at all. Was I seriously going to have to go on a trip with him by myself? I shook my head. This absolutely sucked.

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"Hey, Kagura, Kagura?" Kagome was suddenly shaking my shoulders, a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?" I blinked, staring at her. Where the hell had she came from?

"Yeah," I said. "Why wouldn't I? I get to go off the stupid grounds with Sesshomaru," I tried to look happy. Truly, I just wanted to get rid of her. I wasn't in the mood to talk right now. I needed to find a solution to my sudden issue with Sesshomaru. Kagome brightened at my comment.

"Really?" she exclaimed. "Where to?" I put on a fake smile.

"Apparently the Eastern Lands," I replied dryly. She grinned.

"Oh, so you're coming with us?" she inquired, intent flashing in her eyes. I was instantly suspicious. Why was she being so happy about it?

"Us?" I repeated. She nodded.

"Um-uh, Inuyasha and I are going with you! Isn't that great? Inuyasha and I actually get to spend some time together," she bubbled. I smiled in what I hoped looked to be happiness for her. My brain was whirling with thoughts, however. Just because they were coming didn't make it any better, especially if they were going to be spending alone time. But maybe someone else could come, as well.

"We should invite Byakuya, too," I suggested. "He hasn't got out of here for a while," Kagome frowned in concentration and nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea," she replied. I grimaced at the calculating expression she wore. In my experience, that was never a good expression for anyone to have.

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_Byakuya's PoV_

I frowned. "A trip?" I inquired. Kagome smiled hopefully.

"Please come," she begged. "I want to set Sesshomaru and Kagura up! It's the perfect opportunity to make them fall in love!" I stared at her.

"Why?" I asked. Set them up? I doubted good things would come out of this. Had this girl seen them arguing lately? Their whole relationship with each other was obviously not good and Kagome wanted them to become a couple? Did she really want to see one of them kill the other?

Kagome sighed. "I think they make a great couple but they won't show their feelings for each other. If we give them a little push, I'm sure things will be better between them. It will be fun to play matchmaker, just this once," she appealed. I groaned.

"You want me to help you play matchmaker? Thanks for the offer but I think I'd rather stay put. Kagura would kill me if she thought I was messing with her life in that way," I reasoned. Kagome crossed her arms stubbornly.

"So you'd rather see her make a mistake and run off after Naraku is dead? She'll be so much happier if she just settles down," Kagome rebuked. I scoffed. Kagura settle down? Was she serious?

"My cousin is a wind demon, Kagome. She's not going to just settle down. And if she does like Sesshomaru she doesn't need a push. She can take care of herself," I explained.

"You don't think she and Sesshomaru make a good couple, do you? Inuyasha and I acted almost the exact same way when we first meet and it's worked out between us! I want to see Inuyasha's brother happy and Kagura too. If it doesn't work out then that's fine but at least I know I tried," she stubbornly insisted. I shook my head.

"Try all you want, I'm not going to help," I repeated. Her look turned cold.

"If you don't help me, I'm going to tell Kagura about you going behind her back to convince Sesshomaru to let Hakudoshi stay," she threatened. My eyes narrowed. I knew very well how mad Kagura would be at that, much more than if I messed in her love life. I would lucky to come out such an experience with all body parts still intact, especially if Kagura told Hakudoshi about it as well. At least with Kagome's offer, it would be Sesshomaru who would be getting hurt, instead of me.

"Fine, I'll help. But only because I want to see your face after you realize they will never be a good couple," I informed her. She grinned.

"Then let the plotting begin," she recited.

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_Kagura's PoV_

I stared at the sky in front of me as I leaned against Byakuya, ignoring Sesshomaru who was a few meters away. Somehow all my good, un-fancy kimonos had disappeared before I could begin packing. So the whole week we were in the Eastern Lands, I would be dealing with the damn, restricting, and annoying kimonos. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy but I hadn't dared to yell at Sesshomaru. He was still in his scary mood.

On top of this, the damn puppy had tried to crawl onto my feather while we were leaving, as if he assumed that would be his mode of transportation. I simply dragged Byakuya onto my other feather and took off using that one and leaving the puppy to watch in plain annoyance. How he could even think I wanted to spend three long days with a block of ice was beyond me. After all there were other people around and they might see him acting as if he didn't have a stick shoved up his ass.

I cracked open the book of fairy tales I had taken from Sesshomaru's study and began to read. Sesshomaru's glances at me were getting on my nerves and Byakuya seemed deep in thought. Besides, it was getting boring just staring at the sky with so much tension in the air and distractions.

"You're reading fairy tales?" Byakuya asked in surprise. I turned my head to look at him.

"Do you have a problem with it? I haven't read any for a while," I replied crossly. He flinched slightly.

"Of course not. I'm just surprised to see you reading them. I mean the last time I saw you reading them you were reading them to…" he trailed off uncertainly. I suppressed the emotions that rose up with his insinuation.

"Kanna?" I asked him. He nodded tightly. I sighed and marked the spot in the book with my finger before closing it. "Both of us liked reading them,"

"Oh," he replied. "You just never seemed to be the type to like them. I thought you read them to her because she liked them," I bit my lip discreetly. I wasn't about to start crying, not again, not in front of Sesshomaru.

"No," I said bitterly, "It was like our bonding type, time to daydream about our futures," My fist tightened. Naraku had ruined both of our futures, hers forever. My dearest sister would never meet her perfect prince now. Byakuya was silent from then on and I immersed myself in the book, trying not to think of Kanna.

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Before long, we took a break from flying to rest, eat and stretch constricted limbs. We landed near a small creek, shallow enough that only your ankles would get wet if you decided to walk through it. A deep forested area surrounded the place and upon landing, everyone separated. Byakuya left my side in an instant, no doubt wanting to get away from my depressed atmosphere he thought he had brought on. But truly, it hadn't been his fault.

In any case, I settled down by the creek, dipping my toes in and tucking away my feather in my hair and the book in my kimono. I watched the water slide by lazily, not thinking about anything but rather just staring at the dappling colors. It was memorizing enough that it kept me occupied.

A footstep was all that signaled Sesshomaru's presence as he sat down a meter or two away, back facing towards me. To my relief, his scary mood seemed to have evaporated. But I didn't want to really talk to him. Rather I just wanted to curl up and read the book on my feather or simply take a long, relaxing nap. Maybe I would kick Byakuya off my feather for the next length of the journey. There was plenty of room on the dragon with Yura and the imp.

"I would have thought you would have been happier to get away from this Sesshomaru's castle," Sesshomaru broke the silence but still faced away from me. I didn't respond right away.

"Who says I'm not?" I inquired.

"I can tell," he responded. "You aren't mocking everyone in your annoying way," I scoffed and scowled at his back. My temper blocked out the pain.

"If you want me to be happy, then why don't you go kill Naraku?" I snapped at him. He made a sound that almost sounded like a laugh, although I knew it couldn't have been one.

"I've told you before, Kagura, I shall not waste my time doing such a thing. The rat can come find me," he rebuked.

"Right, just like at the wedding. But yet you didn't kill him and I was almost killed because of it!" I retaliated. He turned to look at me for a second, long enough for me to see his face was thoughtful.

"It would have been dishonorable for me to have killed him then," he pointed out. I ground my teeth together.

"And when will it not be dishonorable to kill him? When he murders someone close to you?" I protested. Honestly, why not just kill the damn man and get it over with?

"Do you want to get away from me that much?" Sesshomaru commented. I stared at him. Where the hell had that come from? Since when was I waiting for Naraku to die just so I could escape Sesshomaru?

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said. "I just want that bastard dead so I can have my freedom. I'm sick and tired of being held down by him!"

"Then you should be fine with waiting," he murmured. "Is it going to matter that much if he dies later rather than sooner?" I stared at him.

"Of course! The longer he's alive, the less freedom I get," I asserted. Sesshomaru was quiet for a while.

"What is your freedom?" he inquired.

"What do you mean?" Was this guy trying to give me whiplash? What was my freedom? I guess I hadn't thought about it that much but what did he mean by it?

"Why does it matter if you lose a few months? You'll live for a long time yet," I stared at him. What was he trying to do? None of his questions made any sense at all. Why did it matter if I lost a few months of freedom? It didn't really matter but I wasn't about to tell him that. I could hold on for a little longer but there was a part of me that dreaded the thought of staying with Sesshomaru longer. The last thing I wanted to do was get attached.

"Why does any of this matter to you?" I questioned. "My affairs are my own, not yours. When did you start caring about my life, anyways? Last time I checked I was just a pawn to lure in Naraku!" He turned away and was silent.

"This Sesshomaru is just curious to see what your reasoning is," he remarked. Did he just admit he didn't understand something? I laughed and crawled over to sit beside him, facing the same way.

"In other words, you don't understand what I'm thinking," I taunted. The flash of anger confirmed my theory. I smirked. "My what a lowly day when Sesshomaru cannot understand something and admits it,"

"Think whatever you wish to," he said calmly. I rolled my eyes. There he went into his protective shell again. I took out my fan and lightly whapped him on the head. His eyes temporarily flashed with annoyance.

"I may not know what my reasoning for things is but at least I can be myself," I informed him.

"Why should this Sesshomaru care?" he asked.

"Because you're not as cold or heartless as you want everyone else to think you are," I suggested evenly before getting up and walking away, a victorious grin on my lips.

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"What do you think?" Kagome inquired, turning in her new kimono, which was a light forest green kimono dotted with blooming cherry blossoms. It was the fancy lady style and she seemed to love it, especially since Inuyasha had picked it out especially for her. I, on the other hand, was stuck with one of the 'lovely' pink kimonos. I almost wished that I could have gone with Inuyasha and picked out my own kimono for fancy occasions. The one I had liked the most, the red one had been trashed when I had been forced to wear it.

"It looks great with your hair," Yura informed her. I simply nodded. Kagome beamed in response.

"I was so surprised that Inuyasha bought it for me! He's been so busy now that we're here and he's not in the best of moods. Lord Ryokotsusei and Sesshomaru don't get along well. They've always been rivals of sorts though," She told us. I shook my head in mock anger.

"And here I thought I was the only one allowed to pick on the puppy," I said sarcastically.

"Lord Ryokotsusei has a better claim. Sesshomaru and him have known each other since they were children," Kagome replied. Yura nodded.

"They're horrible about it. Anything Sesshomaru wants, Lord Ryokotsusei fights him for it. Weapons, lands, women...anything you can think of. Once he even cut off a lock of Sesshomaru's hair. It was so horrible," Yura squealed.

"Since when did Sesshomaru ever chase after women?" I inquired, a tight anger in my stomach at the thought of another woman touching him. But why did I even care? Both of them were silent.

"It was mostly women who had good connections and would have benefited the Western Lands. I don't think it was anything that serious. Of course, Lord Ryokotsusei usually ended up with them. Sesshomaru was awful cold with them," Yura finally confided. I laughed in a cruel way.

"Sounds like our frozen puppy," I replied. Kagome stared at me, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"You know, Kagura, I've noticed he's not as cold around you," She commented. I rolled my eyes.

"That's only because I enjoy annoying the dear puppy and he has quite the temper," I dryly told her.

"He looked pretty relaxed talking to you in the meadow yesterday," Kagome retorted. My temper rose but I couldn't think of a good reply.

"You're spending tonight with Byakuya tonight, Yura?" I asked her. Surprise came over her face but she grinned.

"Kagome forced me to," she informed me. "His hair isn't very pretty," I stared at Kagome.

"You set them up?" I asked coldly. It was her fault that I had no entertainment other than the puppy? What was she plotting?

"Neither of them had dates and I thought they would have fun together," Kagome said innocently. My lips compressed but I didn't say anything. Kagome seemed to be on the edge of adding something when there was a knock at the door. Yura opened it a second later.

A young dragon demoness stood before the sliding door, a stunning, fancy blue and emerald green kimono in her hands. She dropped into a low bow. I stared at her in confusion. What the hell was this?

"Lord Ryokotsusei gifts this to the Lady Kagura in congratulations to her marriage to Lord Sesshomaru," she explained, holding the kimono out towards me.

My eyes narrowed dangerously as I recalled Yura and Kagome's conversation about Ryokotsusei and Sesshomaru being rivals. Was I suddenly just another prize to be fought over in Ryokotsusei's eyes? How dare he! Whatever the hell he might think, I was nothing to be fought over and I would not disgrace Sesshomaru by doing so.

"Send it back and tell your Lord he can stuff it up his ass!" I hissed. By the time I spoke, the demoness' face was pasty white. She nodded, dropped into another bow and fled the room quickly.

Yura and Kagome stared at me with wide eyes, horror on their faces.

"Kagura, you scared that poor girl!" Kagome chided. I crossed my arms and stared her.

"So? I'm not going to be a new toy for Sesshomaru and Ryokotsusei to fight over," I declared. Yura seemed to have missed Kagome's comment.

"You just insulted the Lord of the Eastern Lands!" she exclaimed.

"And he didn't insult me first?" I replied. She sighed. Kagome was suddenly grinning.

"You've accepted stuff from Sesshomaru before," She said. I rolled my eyes.

"Entirely different, I am under Sesshomaru's protection," I shot back.

"If you say so," she muttered back, the gleeful smile still on her face. "You should probably start to get dressed," I scowled back. No duh.

I didn't respond, just went to what served as the closet and dug through the kimonos to the one I had decided to wear in my mind. It was nowhere to be found. In its place, a brand new kimono hung. I ripped it out of the closet in surprise, my eyes widening.

It wouldn't have been more certain it was from Sesshomaru if he had given it to me himself. I felt a smile rise to my lips as I looked at it, carefully not letting Yura or Kagome see my face. It was patterned with tiny red feathers that swirled around it to make a spiral shape around the cream and silver trim that filled up the rest of it. The obi was a simple red with stripes of silver. But the best part about the whole thing was it was lighter than a typical lady's kimono. So Sesshomaru had actually paid attention to my complaints.

"Whose it from?" Kagome asked, suddenly searching the kimono for a tag or something that would mark the sender. I ignored her, feeling lighter than a feather, a warm sensation in my chest. Who would have thought that Sesshomaru could be this considerate? He would probably just say that he had done it because he didn't want to listen to my complaints but I doubted that was the actual reason. I blinked. But would that mean…I cut off that train of thought. I would not allow the annoying side of me to get hope. It needed to die, quick and painfully.

"I don't know, maybe it was Sesshomaru," Yura suggested. "Who do you think it was, Kagura?" I didn't answer.

"It doesn't matter," I replied rapidly. "I'll wear it," Both of them looked surprised.

"But what if it's from Ryokotsusei?" Kagome questioned. I smirked at her.

"It's not," She looked confused but didn't question me further. I reached down to touch my fan. This was the second thing that Sesshomaru had given me that had been considerate. My hand brushed Kanna's flower and I drew it out. Yura gasped at the sight of it.

"That would look beautiful in your hair with the kimono!" she exclaimed. I stared at the flower then at the kimono. They did match well and the purpose would suit just as well for this.

"Sure, you can do anything with my hair," I told her. Yura's eyes lighted up.

"Okay!" she bubbled. "But let's get you dressed first!"

Half an hour later, the two of them were done with their torture. I looked in the mirror and held back a gasp. It was horrible; I actually looked like a lady. It went against my promise once my parents died never to be overly lady-like again. Not that I was that lady-like before they died. But it would do for tonight. After all, I owed Sesshomaru at least some joy of having his rival in pain. I grinned. The party might actually be fun without me spending it by Byakuya's side.

The door suddenly slide open with a crash behind us. I turned around in a flash, my eyes meeting Sesshomaru's.

_A/N_: Whew, that that took a long time to write! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Next chapter will be up sometime this week, probably on Wednesday. We get to watch how the lovely couple act at the party together, with Kagome intervening with her matchmaking. The story will be starting to wind down, though. I'm shooting for 25 chapters in this story and I have a idea for a new story I think I will be starting soon. Don't forget to review!


	20. Someone Stop Me Falling Off This Cliff

_A/N:_ Hi! Here's the next chapter! I'm kinda nervous about reactions to the last part of it but I think it should be okay. I'll finish talking after you read, though. Enjoy! ^_^

Freedom's Will

Chapter 20

Someone Stop Me from Falling Off This Cliff

There was only one word for Sesshomaru's expression, smug. It was creepy, odd. But his eyes didn't leave mine, not even when Kagome and Yura made hushed excuses and slid out the room, Kagome winking suggestively as she did.

"What's wrong? You get a nice bone?" I asked Sesshomaru sarcastically. He seemed to be on the edge of smirking.

"Ryokotsusei is not happy that you sent back his kimono," he murmured. I grinned.

"Good. Maybe that bastard knows he can't buy me now. If he tries again, I'm going to have to fulfill my suggestion for him," I purred. For some odd reason, I was even more delighted that Sesshomaru was smug that I had rejected Ryokotsusei's gift. _It's natural for you to be happy if your lover is happy _the little annoying voice assured me. I shoved it away, not wanting the thoughts.

"This Sesshomaru will be happy to help you," he muttered. I could feel revulsion coming off him in waves. I quickly changed the subject, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Thanks for the kimono," I said as sweetly as I could. He stared at me, and then at the kimono I wore.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't know what you're talking about," he replied calmly, almost too calmly. He face was carefully composed. Was it me or was his face a hint redder? No, that couldn't be. I walked up to him until I was a few inches away and slowly stood as high as I could, peering at his face. It was definitely redder.

I smirked at him. The demon lord was blushing! Who knew a block of ice could be embarrassed, although he hid it well. At the moment, though, he was staring at me in total surprise. What did he think, I was going to kiss him? It was actually an intriguing thought. He wasn't pulling away. The annoying side was in pure bliss, telling me to kiss him while I was this close. I ignored it, a playful mood coming over me.

One of my hands rose to his chest, the other's fingers entwining in his hair. I let my face grow closer to his, my eyes slowly closing. Then I took in his eyes, staring at me like I was crazy but he still didn't move, his body totally relaxed. It was too much, I couldn't hold it in. I started to crack up, laughing so hard I had to move away, trying to catch my breath.

When I could finally stand upright, I looked to Sesshomaru, hoping to see disappointment. He was staring at me like I had totally lost it.

"Are you drunk?" he coldly asked. I laughed again, shaking my head. This was much more normal of a Sesshomaru. His odd mood a few minutes ago was almost creepy. All I knew about his personality told me he should have pushed me away the second I got that close.

"I was just testing something," I replied, a flirty edge to my voice that came with my playful mood that had yet to leave me. "Should we go to the party?"

He gave me another suspicious look, as if uncertain as I was sober, before gesturing for me to follow him. I smirked and followed, grabbing his hand possessively. I got another odd look in reply. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't feel like being chased after by your rival tonight," I informed him while the annoying side swelled inside within me, ecstatic. He nodded.

"Very well," he replied. My annoying side bubbled over, my smile turning extremely happy, my gaze flickering to Sesshomaru's face. He had his half smile on, eyes looking annoyed. The second we entered the hall where Ryokotsusei was welcoming his guests, it fled, leaving him with a breathtaking expression in his eyes. I turned away quickly, flattening the annoying side.

The second my gaze landed on Ryokotsusei I no longer had any doubts of why so many women had chosen him over Sesshomaru. For one, he had a full, beautiful smile on and on top of that, he was simply gorgeous. He was tall, with medium black hair and eyes that flickered between a deep blue and emerald. The eyes were completely intriguing. If I hadn't known Sesshomaru, I would have probably gone over and flirted with him. But as it was, I moved closer to Sesshomaru and let the annoying side control my body just a little.

Shockingly enough, Sesshomaru allowed me to move closer, his hand holding mine letting go to find a place on my back. His pose became almost…possessive, as if to tell Ryokotsusei not to touch me if he wanted his life. Even at the wedding when we had tried to convince Naraku that he loved me, he had not been this convincing. At that moment, I felt the safest I had ever felt and I naturally relaxed.

Ryokotsusei seemed to purposely ignore us, talking to the pretty demoness at his side, as we walked over. Sesshomaru had no qualms in interrupting him.

"This is the Lady Kagura," he informed him. Ryokotsusei turned around, smirking at the sight of Sesshomaru. I was completely ignored. The tension in the air rose as the two locked eyes and my temper rose at being so blatantly ignored.

"Ah," Ryokotsusei purred. "You already know my date, the Lady Shurran." I eyed the demoness in amusement. A cat demon? How ironic. Was this one of the ladies that Sesshomaru had chased after? If it was, I was going to die laughing.

Sesshomaru tensed up beside me. I touched his back lightly. It didn't matter, whatever it was. He relaxed again. Noticing it, Ryokotsusei's eyes flickered to me for the first time. Shock was clear on his face as he took me in, the kimono and my loving pose next to Sesshomaru. Then he grinned.

"A wind demon, huh?" he asked. "And a beautiful one at that," I smirked in reply, pretending to ignore his compliment.

"Only a dragon demon? I would have thought Sesshomaru would choose better opponents," I bantered back. A gleam of annoyance shone in his eyes but he didn't bother to respond to me. Seconds later, the annoyance was replaced by determination. He clearly began to pretend that Sesshomaru wasn't hovering over me and I wasn't clinging to him tightly.

"Perhaps you will join me in a dance later on?" he invited. My flirting smile came to my lips, my playful mood back in full.

"I'd love to, but we both have dates. And I doubt that it would be a good idea to mix a cat and dog," I mocked. His lips tightened before his smile came back in full.

"Another time, then?" he asked gracefully. I laughed quietly. He took the stealing-everything-Sesshomaru-wants thing seriously. I had insulted him three times today and yet he just stood there, brushing it off.

I flicked my fan open in front of my face to hide my evil smile. How I loved playing with men who did this type of thing. "I don't know. You know wind demoness'; we never stay in one place for long. I'm just lucky I can drag Sesshomaru with me. You could always accompany us on a trip together if you are that eager to spend time with me," I purred, blinking my eyes a little more than necessary. He seemed to have trouble holding his smile in place.

"That would be…enjoyable," he replied, gaze finally flicking to Sesshomaru. I felt my heart jump when I followed his gaze. The ice prince had an actual smile on. I held my fan where it was tightly to hide my blush. He should smile more often, it was an amazing sight. I looked away to catch my breath.

"We'll leave you to get back to your guests," I interjected, beginning to walk away. Sesshomaru's arm guided me away. When we were on the other side of the room, well out of Ryokotsusei's gaze, I let the fan drop, putting it away. To my heavy disappointment, Sesshomaru's breathtaking smile was gone. I collapsed against the nearest wall with a sigh, rapidly packing the annoying side of me back in.

"You handled that well," Sesshomaru commented. I smirked with glee.

"I'm out of practice with my playing skills," I replied. "But thank you. The smile was a nice touch. It's just a pity that we weren't able to act that well in front of Naraku," He didn't respond, just turned to stare out the window.

"Shall we get talking to the nobles over with?" I asked him quietly. He gave me an unreadable glance and walked away, to the patio area outside. I followed quickly.

The night air was cool and nice on my skin as I followed the white shape before me. Sesshomaru stopped at the very edge of the area, not treading into the gardens. I was confused. Why the hell were we out here? Every other party I had been to, the important people talked with all the nobles, out of curtsy. So why wasn't Sesshomaru doing so?

"What are we doing?" I asked him. He didn't respond, just sat down, not quite looking at me. Instead, his gaze went to the sky, watching the moon. My gaze followed and I slowly sat, leaning down on my arms.

We sat there for almost an hour, Sesshomaru deep in thought. I simply wondered why we were sitting there but eventually lost myself thinking about the stars. The noise of the party grew louder as time went on, nobles beginning to wander outside. Only when a pair I didn't know came up and began to speak to Sesshomaru did we go inside.

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The instant we entered the crowded halls, we were ambushed by random nobles, exclaiming over our marriage and other things I didn't really care about. The practice with my cousin at other parties helped me here. I commented where it was needed and carefully didn't allow my annoyance at the matter to show. It became easier to coordinate with Sesshomaru as the night went on.

Kagome came over with Inuyasha after a while and shooed the nobles away.

"How are you two doing?" she asked compassionately. I grinned at her.

"Just fine," I replied. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru seemed to ignore us, having a silent conversation together.

"Have you danced yet?" she inquired, a scary gleam in her eyes.

"We haven't had time," I replied squarely. She smiled.

"You have time right now!" she bubbled. "You two should go dance. It is a party," I smiled flakily. Dance with Sesshomaru? It sounded like a nightmare to me. I wouldn't be caught dead doing something like that. It would have fun if he wasn't so ice blockish because half the fun of dancing was talking together.

"Not right now," I replied, my tone getting colder. She scoffed.

"Ryokotsusei is going to get suspicious that you two are just acting if you don't. _Married_ couples go dance with each other. Now go!" she insisted. I ground my teeth together and searched for a way out, staring at the couples dancing. Ryokotsusei caught my eye as he twirled the Lady Shurran, an odd gleam in his eye as he looked at me, almost predatory.

I felt my anger swirl at it. Kagome was right, he was getting suspicious. I couldn't have that. If I did, I would never be able to get away from the damn man if he was so determined to make Sesshomaru mad. I went and grabbed Sesshomaru's arm and dragged him across the floor. He gave me a questioning glance and walked slowly, composed, unlike myself at the moment.

"We're going to dance," I demanded. He frowned slightly. He seemed to be debating with himself about it. I was getting better at reading him, I realized with a jolt. The indecision in his face was so slim that I doubted even Ryokotsusei would have noticed it. He didn't argue with me on the issue.

The next song was lucky, for it was a dance I had done with Byakuya many times. If need be, I would be able to lead Sesshomaru through the steps. As it was, I didn't need to in the least. Sesshomaru flowed into the steps naturally and I felt myself fall in behind him, leaning in close.

The entire dancing thing was entirely different from dancing with Byakuya. For one, Byakuya had never been this close in it, this assured in taking my hand, in laying a hand on the small of my back. I grinned giddily when I knew Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to see it.

Suddenly, I felt Sesshomaru tense up slightly. I slowly wondered what the reason was before I was turned in the steps and found myself facing Ryokotsusei. I didn't like the gleam in his eyes except for the hint of jealousy in them. When Sesshomaru wasn't looking I stuck my tongue out at him. His gaze became awestruck, as if he couldn't believe I had just done that. I laughed quietly.

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After a few dances, Ryokotsusei and Shurran left, anger clear in her eyes. I had a feeling that she had truly been one of the women Sesshomaru had chased after. It would make sense, since Ryokotsusei obviously would want to rub in Sesshomaru's face that he had caught a woman he had wanted. Sesshomaru dragged me away from the dancing soon after. I left calmly, feeling good.

I smirked at Sesshomaru when we stopped and gave him a quick peck on the lips, making sure Ryokotsusei was watching. Sesshomaru's hand came up behind my head as I did, holding my head where it was and increasing my quick peck to a long hot kiss. The annoying side rejoiced as I thought about pulling away. I decided not to, however, and threw myself into the kiss as well.

A loud throat clearing interrupted us. Ryokotsusei and Shurran stood beside us, watching in pure aggravation. I sunk back down to my foot pads in empty disappointment, trying to not breathe heavily. Somehow, I didn't mind _that_ kind of mock lovingness at all. I would happily do that anytime. I suddenly realized what I was thinking and I cut the thoughts short. What the hell was I saying?

"I think that was the first time I've ever seen you dance, Sesshomaru," Ryokotsusei drawled. I leaned into Sesshomaru's chest, trying to catch my breath, barely paying attention to their conversation. Sesshomaru's arm came down to wrap around my waist.

"Do you have a point to all this, Ryokotsusei?" Sesshomaru inquired, sounding irritated. I took it to be normal anger at the dragon demon. I couldn't really say it wasn't normal for him to be this hostile because this was the second time I heard them talking.

"I was simply pointing out how attached you seem to this one," he replied coolly. I felt the need to interrupt, scoffing quietly.

"What did you expect?" I questioned dryly, although I knew the answer very well. Ryokotsusei grinned at me, but focused his attention on Sesshomaru, whose face was completely blank.

"Ridiculous," he droned. Ryokotsusei smirked.

"I would hope so. After all, I do recall you saying you wouldn't fall for anyone since it was a sign of weakness," he taunted. Sesshomaru's look was murderous enough that I wanted to step back in fear.

"Do not presume to know everything about this Sesshomaru," he warned, arm coming off my waist. I stepped back at the anger emitting from his body as he very obviously challenged Ryokotsusei. His hand slid down to where his blade would typically be and paused there. The dragon demon simply smirked confidently.

"Are you saying you don't care for this woman at all?" he asked.

"Why would this Sesshomaru care?" Sesshomaru growled back. Ryokotsusei laughed. I felt a stabbing pain deep in my chest, waking my anger.

"Then you won't mind if I do this?" Ryokotsusei mocked. Suddenly, he moved towards me and swept me up in a kiss. It took me a moment to react, my fist coming up to punch him in the side. He pulled away in surprise but my temper was now pulsing so I punched him in the face as well. Instants later, my fan was in my hand, trembling in anger.

"I'm going to kill you, you fucking bastard!" I screamed. His eyes were wide as he took me in, one hand at his nose to cup the flowing blood. The room went silent before a glare from Ryokotsusei made everyone return to their conversations. Sesshomaru caught my hand, holding it where it was. I glared daggers at the dragon demon, wishing I could kill him with a Dance of the Dragons. How dare he just come and kiss me! What kind of woman did he think I was?

Suddenly Ryokotsusei started laughing, hand now wiping away the dried blood from his face. Shurran seemed to be in shock before she stomped away, fury clear in her pose. My anger at him rose. In a second I was going to give him something to laugh at! My common sense got in the way though, so I yanked my hand away from Sesshomaru and stalked away.

Once I got outside, the cool air helped calm me a little bit but I was still furious. "Dance of Blades!" The wind sliced into the gardens, completely wrecking parts of it. The sight made me feel a little better and I sat down, to stare at the stars. I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

"Kagura," an empty voice called. My eyes open to Kanna's upside down face. My body shook from the shock of her face. Then it was gone, leaving me in panic and sorrow. A sharp pain appeared in my chest. I sat up and looked around frantically. Where was she? A white shape disappeared into the gardens. I got up to run and chase after Kanna when someone caught my hand.

Sesshomaru's eyes were worried when he took in my panicked expression. He stared down at me, then his eyes widened. Ryokotsusei's face appeared soon, suddenly mimicking Sesshomaru's face. Dizziness filled my head, the sharp pain in my chest increasing as I stood. Then everything went dark and I felt myself begin to fall.

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_Sesshomaru's PoV_

My arm moved of its own accord to catch Kagura as she fell. I made myself calm down, knowing that my face would only hide so much emotion. Ryokotsusei had already noticed my worry for the witch, grinding on my emotions. I hadn't chased after Kagura for that reason, thinking she would be fine in the gardens by herself, just as I had suppressed the jealousy at watching Ryokotsusei kissing her.

The scent of blood that had wafted in during Ryokotsusei and my discussion had caught my attention as I recognized it to be hers. Any progress I had made to convince Ryokotsusei that I didn't care for the witch was undone by the scent of her blood. I had brashly rushed outside, not caring what others thought. It was the type of thinking I hated, thinking just like my father with his precious human.

I hadn't expected to find a blade in the Kagura's chest, nor the scent of her kin who I had murdered to be all over her. Or for the witch to suddenly faint, not seeming to notice the blade in her heart from the shock of something I couldn't explain.

I yanked the blade out of her chest in an instant, carelessly throwing it to the ground. Anger burned in my chest. The fool had dared to attack her when she was this close to me. I wished to hunt him down and savagely kill him but I couldn't. But the fool had dared to try and kill what was mine. My eyes narrowed and I wiped the thoughts away. I would not allow him the honor of being in my thoughts. A lowly rat had no place in there.

I brushed by Ryokotsusei silently, intending to carry Kagura to our chambers. She would heal now that the blade was gone. A few hours of unconsciousness would be the price of her stupidity of running from me. Ryokotsusei caught my arm, pity in his eyes. I sent him a look that would have made any other flail with fear.

"Do you want me to call for a healer?" he inquired softly. I scoffed quietly.

"The witch will be just fine," I responded coldly and walked away. His gaze followed me but he wisely didn't dare to follow. The hall was silent as I entered, eyes widening as they noticed the bloodstain on the witch's chest. My expression kept them in their place and silent. I was livid enough that it cut partway through my normal mask.

The silence followed me as I stalked to the chambers Kagura and I shared to the point where I placed her on the bed. I temporarily thought of changing her kimono before discarding the idea. I didn't wish to deal with her anger at the thought of me changing her. It would seem that I would need to buy her another kimono since this one was plainly ruined.

Normally I would sit by and watch the witch carefully from a distance however there was no place for me to sit in this room. I refused to stand for hours watching her. I'd much rather deal with her feeble temper when she woke and found me next to her. As such, I sat next to her, watching. It was a relief to me that she never noticed that I watched over her so. If she did, another one of her puppy comments would be born.

The scent of salt filled my nose as I watched. My eyes glanced at hers, to see tears welling up in her eyes while she slept. No doubt she was dreaming of her sister's death, as she often did. The sensation of wanting to wipe away said tears disgusted me.

I was becoming like my father and Inuyasha, a weak man who lost his mind when it came to a certain woman. My father claimed it to be love but I would have none of it. It didn't matter in the least.

But yet the thought of her leaving kept me from hunting down Naraku and slaying the pest. It irked me to no end as to the reasoning for it. At the same moment, I wanted to kill Naraku so she would leave my side and the weakness I was currently having would disappear. A part of me resisted the thought, with the knowledge that I would _miss_ her.

My hand curled into a fist as a lay down beside the witch, watching her face. Why was I unable to break free from this? Was I too weak to break from it? All my anger and resistance did nothing against the happiness that came when she simply laughed or lightly began to tease me. How I hated it.

I couldn't even deny the witch what she complained about. First, her fan had began to exasperate me every time I saw it, with the knowledge that it was a weak weapon, unable to stand up to the frailest blow. The worry had begun to drive itself deep into my mind. To relieve myself of it, I had gone to Totasai to commission him to build her a better fan.

Afterwards, I hadn't wanted to leave her in the Western Lands while I traveled to these lands. Even after I had assured myself that I would keep my promise not to protect her, I still had the nauseating feeling to break that promise and drag her with me. The result was my rushing back to the Western Lands, the worry and fear like a locust in my mind, with the knowledge that I wasn't going to leave her alone again.

I had even succumbed to her crying. I had known very well that she would have rushed to Byakuya and cry into him but I had let her bump into me. And I had let her soak my shoulder with tears like a fool. I growled to myself in frustration. How could I be this weak?

Kagura's sudden movement snapped me out of my thoughts, eyes fixed on her. Her tears were gone and she looked calmer now. I returned to berating myself.

Tonight had been a disaster. I had let my emotions break through my mask that usually kept my face normal, unemotional and strong. I had shown everyone at the party my obvious weakness, smiling and doting upon the witch, allowing her to convince me into dancing. I had originally gone outside with the hopes she would leave my side so I wouldn't show any more weakness. I thought an hour or two of silence would drive her crazy and make her flee from me.

But she had just sat there, staring at the stars with me in complete silence, tempting me with her scent. I knew that I wouldn't be able to forget about the whole party. I thought she would go find her cousin. I still wondered why she hadn't.

I was afraid of the witch, in a way. She could enchant me so easily, making me nothing but a spineless man who couldn't resist her. I would never admit it to her. Once she was gone, all these emotions would disappear with time and I would ensure that I never saw her again. I would find a lady who I hated to be with and take her as my mate. I would not let myself become weak. For some reason, there was no delight or temptation in the thought. My fist clenched.

"Sesshomaru?" I perked up at the sound of Kagura's voice, a tiny whisper, although she was obviously unconscious. My nails dug into my skin in fury. I had just succumbed to my weakness yet again.

Ever so slowly Kagura moved closer to me. I watched her movements like a sword that would surely dig into my chest and kill me. Yet I was deemed motionless, just like earlier when she had seemingly almost kissed me. Even my good judgment wouldn't allow me to move, just like a mouse transfixed by a snake.

And then she was curling up against my chest. I temporarily stiffened like I should have. Then my body moved against me, relaxing as I breathed in her scent. My hand reached around her of its own will and wrapped itself around her body, pulling her closer. No, I should have been pushing her away. But I couldn't find the will to do it. I gritted my teeth together. How much weaker could I get before I rushed into something for her and got killed? I found myself not caring, all thoughts focused on the woman curled up tightly against my side. At the moment, she was everything.

_A/N_: Eeeek! That turned out to be really long! Did I do okay with Sesshomaru's PoV? I think I did okay because I was able to embrace his personality but I'm not quite sure (Yes, I'm a weirdo and get into the role like an actor when I'm writing then freak everyone out afterwards because I'm not acting like myself). Hmmm, oh and I just posted the first chapter of my new story(The Haunting Past) and I would be delighted if you read it. I'll put the sucky description of mine below this. It's better than it sounds…I hope. Please review for this chapter before you go check it out…please?

_While on an I-don't-care-but-I-need-this-job job as an archeologist's assistant, Kagura begins to have weird memories that don't belong to her. As the dig continues, the memories worsen as her boss gets closer to discovering the past of the Shikon jewel. Then, a high-end, cold business man interrupts the dig, suddenly appearing in these memories that she cannot explain. Who he is, she knows not but does know one thing, for some reason the past is coming back to haunt her and not even her own past. Sess/Kag pairing_


	21. Why Would I Stay Behind?

_A/N_: Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys don't know how happy I am that you found my Sesshomaru PoV not horrible. Here's the next chapter of Freedom's Will. Enjoy!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 21

Why Would I Stay Behind?

_Kagura's PoV_

I was warm, so comfortable. My eyes fluttered open, a smile in my lips. I couldn't sleep anymore. But I would lay awake for a little bit.

That was when I realized who I was snuggling against. I felt myself stiffen as I stared at Sesshomaru's chest. My head snapped back to stare at his face. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful. He was still asleep. But why was he asleep next to me, with one arm wrapped around me?

I considered getting away, ripping away and destroying this moment in my memories forever. The annoying side wouldn't let me. It simply chided me that I shouldn't destroy this lovely moment. I ended up just staring at his face, not scooting away. I wasn't quite sure if Sesshomaru was grumpy when waking up. He had always been awake a long time before me.

He actually didn't look half bad when he was asleep. He looked almost kind and not a block of ice. But then, he hadn't been quite so ice blockish last night, except for the end of the night. The thought startled me out of my daze.

Last night, Kanna had been there. And I had fainted for some reason or another. The last thing I remember seeing the night before was Sesshomaru's face. But why had I fainted? The pain of my sister's death wasn't so great that I would faint would it? If that was the case, however, why had Sesshomaru's face been so worried? He had rushed outside but why? Had he smelled Kanna?

I shook my head. I would have blamed it on the alcohol but I hadn't drunk anything like it last night. That was an oddity on its own. I normally would have guzzled down anything that would kill the pain of having to deal with nobles.

Sesshomaru's eyes opened as I watched. He seemed surprised to see me relaxing next to him, already awake and not yelling at him for daring to touch me. I really didn't have a desire to do so, this morning, however. Another oddity of the day was all it could be explained with.

"Good morning," I told him. "Looks like some one got a little into the party last night," My tone became teasing at the end. But I was in a good mood and I couldn't help but mock him. His gaze was expressionless.

"You should change your kimono," he suggested coldly. I frowned. Someone was obviously grumpy in the mornings. But why would I want to change my kimono. It wasn't as if I hadn't ever slept in a kimono before. Was it really that wrinkled that it promoted changing it. I glanced down and lost my breath in horror.

The part of my kimono that covered my chest was covered in dried blood, crusting up as I moved. There was a rip in part of it showing smooth skin. But it was painfully obvious I had been stabbed in the chest by someone. My eyes flicked back up to Sesshomaru's face, my eyes wide.

"What happened?" I asked him. He looked at me with a hint of confusion in his eyes. I stared back in desperation, not wanting to hear that Kanna had been the one to do this to me. I wanted anyone, anyone else, to be at fault for trying to kill me.

"Your dead sister stabbed you," he said simply. My breath caught in horror, a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Kanna had tried to kill me? But why? Why wasn't she dead? I had seen her die and Sesshomaru had also obviously seen her dead. My hand clenched into a fist. Damn Naraku for taunting me so.

I didn't respond, my attention on my emotions. I wasn't about to start crying in front of Sesshomaru again. I should have gotten over my sister's death by now but thanks to Naraku I hadn't. He was even using my weakness for my sister to try and kill me. Why the hell hadn't Sesshomaru done anything? Did he not care that I had just almost died? Was he simply going to wait for me to die to kill Naraku?

The room was silent for a few moments as I thought. Sesshomaru seemed content just staring at my face, probably trying to analyze what I was thinking. I tried to not let my annoyance at him show.

A knock at the door startled both of us. Sesshomaru seemed to automatically move away from me, as if he didn't want to be seen next to me. I scowled at his back when he got out of the bed to get the door. It was cold underneath the covers without him and my body missed the heat. It wouldn't have hurt for him to stay with me and pretend that we were actually married.

The door burst open before Sesshomaru reached it, the imp running through the door, his eyes wide in obvious panic.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru," he squawked before tripping over his staff in his hurry. His body skidded to Sesshomaru's feet. The ice prince's expression was abnormally chilly as he stared down at the imp.

Jaken seemed not to notice the cold glare from Sesshomaru in his panic. He quickly pushed himself up.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin's been kidnapped!" he informed Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's face slid to artic warmth. I frowned. Who had kidnapped Rin? A sinking feeling told me it had been Naraku. But it would almost be a good thing if he had, for Sesshomaru would surely go save her, killing Naraku in the process. My freedom would be a short jump from that.

"By who?" I interrupted. Sesshomaru didn't even bother to glance at me, his pose stiff. Jaken shot a dirty look at me.

"The bug called Naraku!" he replied, his eyes darting to look at Sesshomaru. "The messenger arrived this morning, milord, saying that Hakudoshi had taken Rin," Sesshomaru didn't respond but Jaken abruptly bowed and left the room, fear in his eyes. I couldn't see Sesshomaru's face but the aura around him was scary. My temper rose at the mention of Hakudoshi.

I slid out of the bed, pulling out my fan as I walked over to the closet. Sesshomaru didn't move as I chose a red and white kimono out and slipped it on, cursing as I took in the damage of my new kimono. If Sesshomaru was going to kill Naraku, I wanted to be there to help him so I could kill the little brat.

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru asked. I stared at him.

"I'm coming with you so I can kill the little brat," I replied in annoyance, tucking a feather into my hair. After Sesshomaru had let him stay, against my better judgment, Hakudoshi had gone and done this.

"This Sesshomaru isn't going to try and rescue Rin," he informed me. I could only stare.

"What the hell do you mean you're not going to rescue Rin? She's your ward, isn't she?" I inquired harshly. Sesshomaru turned to face me, his expression calm as he walked to stand before me. He lightly grabbed my wrist that was helping securely tuck my feather into my hair. His hand pulled it down from my hair. I gazed at him in confusion. How could he be so calm?

"This Sesshomaru will not be baited into attacking Naraku," he explained. "And neither shall you," I gawked at him. Wait, he wasn't going to go after Rin? Was he going to let Naraku just kill her. I pulled away from his grip, which tightened to keep my wrist between it.

"Are you stupid?" I snapped at him. "Naraku won't hesitate to kill her!"

"This Sesshomaru is aware of that," Sesshomaru informed me. My eyes widened.

"Then why the hell aren't you going to rescue her? If anything, your pride should be hurt that he dared to take your ward," I argue, trying to get him angry enough to go after Naraku. Naraku had already killed Kanna and I wasn't about to let him kill Rin, too.

"It does not matter," he told me, still calm. I pulled away again. I was so sick of this. Was he going to wait for Naraku to kill Rin to attack? He spewed a whole lot of crap about killing Naraku at a good time but it didn't really matter if Naraku killed even one more person. If Sesshomaru wasn't going to do something, then I would have to.

"Fine, then," I hissed. "Our agreement is off. I'll handle Naraku by myself if I have to. I'm not going to let him kill Rin," I had plenty of other deaths that still haunted me, without worrying about another. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at my comment.

"This Sesshomaru is the only one who can break the agreement," he reminded me, none too gently. I scoffed in anger.

"Maybe if you had actually filled any term of the agreement I'd follow that rule," I growled back. His grip tightened to a painful tightness.

"That is for this Sesshomaru to determine," he snarled back. I tried to pull away, to no avail. As if I cared. All I cared about right now was preventing another murder at Naraku's hands. If anything, his grip tightened. I automatically swung back, ready to hit him. It wasn't my fault he was in denial but it was his fault I hadn't left already. If he wasn't going to let go, I would make him.

Before my hand reached him, I slumped in pain, a snarling fire in my wrist. If Sesshomaru hadn't been holding my wrist still I would have fallen to the floor. Sesshomaru's hand holding my wrist glowed green, claws digging into my skin. My teeth gritted to keep in my cry of pain. I glared up at Sesshomaru, who was not quite as calm as before.

"I believe this Sesshomaru said you aren't going anywhere," he icily reminded me. I continued to glare, wondering if I could punch him in the face and get away with it. His eyes were scorching. I didn't reply, the pain of my wrist still the focus of my thoughts. He seemed to recognize my pain and released my wrist, leaving me to drop to the ground.

I began to rub my wrist, wincing at the pain. "And I said that the agreement is off," I spat. "So why the hell would I listen to you?" His next look was murderous. I took a step back without thought.

I was pushed onto the bed the next second, Sesshomaru towering over me. I pressed myself as far away from Sesshomaru as I could, my eyes wide. What the hell was he doing?

"Do not be foolish," Sesshomaru warned, his tone far from calm. My eyes flinched away from his, not wanting to see the anger I was feeling coming from him. Why wasn't he letting me go? Was our agreement that big of a deal to him? I forced myself to look him in the eye.

"Is there a reason you don't want to break our agreement?" I asked him harshly. "Does the great Sesshomaru really need a simple wind sorcerer's help to kill one demon?" Sesshomaru's eyes made me want to flinch away but my stubbornness wouldn't allow it nor would my temper. The puppy was not going to cow me so easily, not with a life on the line.

"This will take of Rin," he informed me. "You shall wait for me here," His tone told me it wasn't a suggestion. If he wasn't so mad, I would have laughed in his face. After all these months, he didn't know me at all. When had I even obeyed him? Why would I suddenly start now?

"If you attack him alone, you'll have to fight Naraku and Hakudoshi. I'm not going to sit around and let you kill the brat for me," I stubbornly replied.

"Are you suggesting that this Sesshomaru is incapable of killing both of them?" He growled. I rolled my eyes, my fear slowly subsiding, sarcastic humor taking over, even though it was completely unreasonable.

"No, I want to kill that brat myself, like I would have if you hadn't interrupted our last fight," I said sarcastically. His eyes narrowed at my tone.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't need your help," he explained severely.

"I'm not offering it!" I hissed back. "I just want to kill Hakudoshi," And I wanted to watch Naraku die, but Sesshomaru didn't need to know that.

"You will not be coming with this Sesshomaru when he goes to kill Naraku," he repeated.

"Our agreement never said I couldn't," I rebutted, since he wouldn't break it.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't care. You are not coming with me, Kagura," he asserted. My lips tightened.

"Then I'll go without you," I retorted.

"You shall stay here," he demanded.

"Maybe after I kill Hakudoshi," I wasn't about to give up. He would have to give in first.

"Do not presume you can argue with this Sesshomaru," he told me. My response caught in my throat when I noticed his eyes. They were turning red ever so slowly. Something told me to give up on this argument before I was hurt. I bit my lip and forced my temper down before I did something I regretted.

"Whatever," I replied spinelessly. "As long as I get my freedom, I don't care," Sesshomaru seemed surprised, the red instantly vanishing from his eyes. He was off me in a second.

"This Sesshomaru is returning to the Western Lands. You shall await my return here," he told me. I crossed my arms.

"Fine," I would simply leave after and go after Naraku. He was making it sound as if he was going after Naraku but something made me doubt it. He hadn't left yet, nor was he in any rush. It would seem to me, if he was truly going to go after Naraku, he would have left already.

Sesshomaru brushed by me as he left. I watched him go, hoping my face was as expressionless as I was trying to make it. When the door shut behind him, I collapsed onto the bed. I would start at Naraku's castle and try to track him from there. With any luck, I would have a visit from 'Kanna' and she would lead me to Naraku. But I would wait for a few hours first so that Sesshomaru would be unable to stop me.

_A/N_: I hope everyone enjoyed. The next chapter will be up sometime next week. Please review!


	22. Happily Disobeying Orders

_A/N:_ Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next chappie. I hope everyone enjoys!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 22

Happily Disobeying Orders

I watched the candle burning impatiently. When it burned into nothing, I would leave. Perhaps a sundial would have been more useful in this situation but there was none handy. Sesshomaru had left the room about an hour ago. It didn't mean that he was even gone from the Eastern Lands, though.

As it was, I was anxious to leave. The tension of if I would get out of this place and find Naraku safely was killing me. I didn't even want to think of whether I would survive the encounter with the brat and Naraku. I didn't even want to think of it.

A noise at the door made me perk up, watching the candle. Apparently, Sesshomaru hadn't believed that I would stay put while he wasn't here. I now had a guard from Ryokotsusei watching the door and one for the window to insure that I wouldn't go after Naraku.

In a way, I was in my own little prison again. But I could leave it whenever I wished to, as long as someone was with me. Ryokotsusei had volunteered to accompany or entertainment any time I asked. His annoying persistence to steal me from Sesshomaru was obvious and irritating.

I doubted that I would have any issues escaping. From the looks of the guards, Ryokotsusei was underestimating me. I few little gusts of wind would take care of them easily. All I would need to do would take a walk in the gardens with them without letting Ryokotsusei know. If he did know, I was certain he would insist on tagging along and I wasn't confident that I could defeat him. He was strong enough to match Sesshomaru, after all.

I glanced at the candle, noticing that it was only the barest residue of the candle. It would go out any second. So I stood, tucking my fan into my sleeve where it wouldn't be noticed. I took a deep breath before I opened the door.

The guard whirled around to look at me, bowing deeply. I smiled as innocently as possible.

"Would you mind if I took a walk in the gardens? I feel quite cooped up in the room," I sighed melodramatically, fanning myself with my hand. Let him take me for an idiotic Lady who had nothing on her mind but fluff. The guard simply nodded.

"Allow me to go get Lord Ryokotsusei to accompany you," he replied, ready to run to get him.

"I'd hate for you to have to do that just so I can walk in the gardens for a minute or two. I'm certain your Lord wouldn't appreciate being bothered for such a silly reason," I fluttered back. His eyes narrowed but he smiled.

"If you say so milady," he responded. "Shall I lead you to the nearest gardens?" I smiled kindly and nodded.

"That would be pleasant," I cooed. He simply began to walk. I followed, eying his armor. The fool only had a helmet on. It would seem that I was being ridiculously underestimated.

The gardens were beautiful but very obviously grown. In a way, it rubbed me wrong. The flowers were too perfect. I began to walk within the flowers, looking for a secluded area. The answer came with a tall hedge that blocked everything from sight.

Ten minutes later, I was flying away, unnoticed. I hadn't even set off a single alarm. The guard would probably be found in a few hours and my presence missed but by that time, no one would be able to stop me from getting away.

At first thought, I had wanted to go to Naraku's old castle but it was painfully obvious that if someone wanted to find him, they would start there. Sesshomaru would look for me there, along with Naraku. I had decided that the best way to defeat Naraku and not get killed would be to sneak up on him.

I was going to go to his armory, where all his troops were kept. Naraku likely wouldn't have cleared that out by now and there would be better clues there. They would have to send messages to him somehow and I could follow any messages straight to the bastard.

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I landed in the foliage that hid the armory from view, fan out. It had been obvious a mile away that a fight was going on within. Smoke rose from sections of the building, choking the air with gray while the clang of weapons meeting weapons echoed throughout the forest.

How was I supposed to get into the main office and see if there were any messages to Naraku if there was a fight going on? I could always join the fight but it would be so time consuming and plain irksome. If there was no other way, however, I would do it. I opened my fan and began to walk towards the armory.

A horse bolted past me before I could walk forwards. I froze, hoping he hadn't seen me. My head turned as he raced by and I caught a glimpse of the rider's face. I recognized the face in an instant. It was Naraku's favorite messenger, who was known for his escaping techniques and never letting a message out until it reached its destination.

I felt a smile light up my face as I drew out my feather, putting way my fan. It appeared that I wouldn't need to go into the fire, after all. Instants later, I was following the messenger on my feather, making sure I was trailing far enough behind that he wouldn't be able to see me.

Twenty minutes later, a castle came into sight, looming over the trees. Naraku's aura emitted from the building in waves. My hand tightened into a fist. That would have to be it. Now I had to get in somehow without being spotted as well as finding a way through the barrier he would be putting up the second the messenger passed through the gates.

If I snuck into the barrier right after the messenger, I would be seen. However, if I didn't get close enough, I wouldn't be able to get past the barrier. Either way, I would be caught. But I couldn't give up so long as he had Rin and Kanna, if she was indeed still alive. If I had to get caught to save them I would.

I let myself go lower to the ground, closer to the messenger. With any luck, the guards were being lazy and wouldn't see me at all. If not, there would be some small fry that would need to be handled. My heartbeat sped up as I crossed the main lookout.

I drifted down to the ground slowly, stepping off my feather, fan at the ready. No one ran out to meet me as I felt the barrier close around the castle. Had I not been noticed by the guards? I stood for a little longer in the same spot, watching and listening. There wasn't any ruckus or anything that would have hinted at me being seen.

I frowned. I hadn't been seen, unless Naraku was just letting me think that. It would be just like him to do that. I couldn't think that I hadn't been seen. I would not fall to Naraku's mind tricks. I couldn't, for Rin's sake and partially Sesshomaru's. I summoned some of the wind to me, just to be ready. I didn't have to wait for long.

Before I had taken two steps, a blade slashed in front of my face. What the hell? I leaped back, wind flashing before me, pushing away the blade. Laughing filled the area around me, laughing that I recognized in an instant.

"I didn't think you'd react that fast," Hakudoshi said, raising his spear so the shaft leaned against his shoulder. I glared at him, my fan going to cover my chest. It looked like I was going to be able to kill the brat without even having to look for him. I would simply have to search for Rin after killing him. And I wasn't about to complain about getting to kick the brat's ass first.

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_Sesshomaru's PoV_

"You're not going to go after Rin, milord?" Jaken questioned as we landed before my home. My eyes narrowed at his impudence. Why would I be so foolish as to rush into Naraku's trap? I would be able to foil his trap if I wished to, however I would not succumb to his plots. My honor would not allow it.

I would attack him with my forces and make the rat come to me. Meanwhile, the witch would probably go straight into attacking Naraku. I doubted that Kagura would stay in the Eastern Lands. The witch was the only one who dared to not follow my orders.

I crushed the weakness within me that told me not to use her in such a precarious way. Naraku would not kill her for he obviously still had plans for her. They might have been so thoughtless as to use her to provoke me or another scheme to gain territory. I hadn't wasted time to think his motives out for they did not matter in the least. The only thing that mattered was he would not likely kill Kagura.

With Kagura suitably distracting Naraku, the chance that Rin would be killed was minimal. The witch would not allow it while she was close, as shown by her reaction to me not going to save her. I had seen through her excuse of killing Naraku's cousin in a flash.

My anger at her would only provide her more fuel to decide to disobey my orders. I had originally thought to force her to stay, letting her assume that my so-called arrogance was getting in the way of my judgment leaving her there alone. I hadn't thought that she would make me lose my temper, yet another undeniable show of weakness brought on by her. Her persistence of coming with me was irritating, such as was her talk of the agreement. To go as far as to say I was not fulfilling my part of the bargain was infuriating. Why would I put my honor on the line by chasing after such an insignificant noble that was no more than a bug before me?

"Go see if the location of Naraku's armories has been discovered," I order Jaken. He scraped the ground and hurriedly ran off, no doubt fearing the anger that was certainly flashing in my eyes at the thought of my argument with Kagura.

The weak part of me chided that I was so annoyed not at Kagura but at myself. I unsuccessfully cut off all thoughts of such a frail nature. They continued, leaving me to wonder why something so weak was so hard to simply crush. I was sending Kagura, without her knowledge, to the most dangerous place possible. And a part of me hated it, wishing to be by her side, insuring that she was not killed.

But yet, if the witch was killed why should I care? Sooner or later, she would leave. Her nature told her not to stay by me, to go wherever she wished. Was that not part of the reason I had hesitated in provoking or attacking the rat? The knowledge was nauseatingly bitter that the instant Naraku was dead, she would leave me. My whole body recoiled at the thought of it.

I had already made the plans to force the weak part of me to subside when she did. The daughter of the highest lord in one of my provinces would be a good mate. She was a strong, non-willful dog demon who would bear good pups and heirs. The witch couldn't be that hard to forget if I committed myself to another, better raised lady. The thought didn't sound any better than the last time I thought of it. A growl vibrated through my chest. I was getting as weak as my brother.

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"Ryokotsusei says the Lady Kagura is nowhere to be found. He found one of his guards' unconscious in the gardens and believes that she flew off. He sends his apologies," the dragon demon drawled. I stared at a nearby wall, pretending not to care about his words. Tension rose from Ryokotsusei's messenger in painfully weak waves.

"You delivered your message, now leave!" Jaken shrieked at the messenger. "Milord has better things to do," I gave an uncaring glance t the messenger as Jaken shoved him out of the room.

A part of me was comforted in the fact that the witch had done what I had wished by leaving, probably to attack Naraku. The weak part of me distressed that Kagura was going into danger. I ignored it. My plans were setting into motion just fine. Now if the witch didn't fumble up my plans and get killed, the rat named Naraku would be dead soon and Rin returned to me.

Jaken shut the door loudly, rushing up to me. "Do you need anything else, milord?" he inquired.

"What news is there of Naraku?" I asked coldly. Jaken hesitated in replying.

"None, Milord. The attack on the armory was a success and the messenger escaped just fine," he informed me. I placed my hand on my head thoughtfully. Naraku would likely react to the news that all his troops were scattered. His next option would be to flee, confront me or do nothing. Perhaps he might threaten Rin or Kagura's life, when Kagura arrived but that would be easily ignored. A dead hostage did nothing for him as I had made it quite clear I didn't care for either of them. No reaction to his kidnapping of Rin and the obvious poison marks on Kagura's wrists would show him that much. All I needed to do was wait for his next move.

_A/N:_ I'm surprised no one is tripping, with all these plots lying everywhere. Next chappie, Naraku makes his move and Kagura obviously fights Hakudoshi. It will be up next week sometime.

_To Lily:_ Thanks for the review! I'm not used to replying to non-signed reviews but here it goes. I'm sorry about the confusion in the earlier chapters but they are now fixed. You're not the only one who has mentioned the puppy comments and I'm trying not to use them. Sango and Miroku won't be appearing, possibly again, along with the rest. They may be important in the manga but they are not so in the story. I never happen to remember writing that Kagome is _not_ from the future. ; ) As for the previews, I tried to kinda do it in the A/N but that will the best it can get. My planning doesn't always follow what actually happens in the story. I go through the chapters by acting out and becoming the characters and that leads to unexpected things. Ryokotsusei wasn't supposed to kiss Kagura, it just kinda lead up to that. She originally was supposed to chase after Kanna and get stabbed, not storm out in anger.


	23. A Final Farewell

_A/N:_ I am so so so so so so so so so sorry that I didn't update last week. I got so busy and well you guys probably know how that goes sometimes. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and enjoy!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 23

A Final Farewell

_Kagura's PoV_

"Where's Rin, brat?" I snapped at Hakudoshi, my fan covering half my face. He smirked at me, hands ready on his spear.

"Why are you so concerned, Kagura? Did your dear puppy send you to fetch her?" he mocked back. The mention of me fetching for Sesshomaru made my eyes narrowed but I allowed my sarcasm to flow.

"Why does it matter? You don't really care about Naraku's plots so why are you helping him again?" I shot back. Annoyance passed on his face, his hands slipping slightly.

"I don't have a choice," he snarled back. I scoffed.

"You always have a choice," I replied. "So how about rather than me killing you, you help me get Rin back and leave Naraku behind," He didn't reply, instead he simply began to laugh bitterly. I could only stare. What was the brat's problem? He hated Naraku just as much as me so why the hell would he stand with him? And what did he mean by he didn't have a choice?

"Naraku can crush my heart whenever he wants to," he informed me. I could only stare at him. What exactly did that mean?

"Like with the servant who ran away?" I asked him in confusion, my fan dropping to my side. He glared at me, which I took to be a yes. Shock reverberated throughout my body, along with a touch of pity. That was the worst thing that could possibly happen, in my opinion, to anyone.

Hate glittered in Hakudoshi's eyes as he stared at me. Seconds later, his blade was flashing down towards my head. I barely had time to block the blade with my fan before it hit with a loud clang, both my fan and his blade vibrating from the impact.

I hurriedly jumped away, welcoming the wind to me, pushing it towards him to prevent him from attacking.

"If you want to be free from Naraku, I'll be happy to help. After all he can't control you if you're dead!" I shouted to the brat. His teeth clenched angrily before he attacked again.

"No thanks, I'd rather live and be able to kill him later," he snapped back. "As it is, I have to bring you to Naraku alive," His blade flashed towards me again.

"Dance of Blades!" I leaped away from him again, almost hesitant to fight him suddenly. It wasn't that I pitied him but somehow I felt bad about it and I hated it. I doubted Sesshomaru would be letting such a thing get to him since he was an unemotional ice block.

Hakudoshi dodged my blades easily. I cursed. I was over thinking things when I should be concentrated on fighting the little bastard. And for any of my attacks to be effective, I needed to be farther away. As Hakudoshi's blade caught the sun, something behind him caught my eye. A figure in white, holding a mirror. I was still staring when Hakudoshi's blade sliced into my chest.

I hopped away, blinking in sudden pain. The world became shaky, like a dream. Kanna was haunting me once again. She was walking to stand next to Hakudoshi, mirror between her hands. I put a hand to my chest, feeling blood beginning to ooze from my wound, my knees buckling.

Kanna stared at me calmly, not caring how weird the world was at that moment. Everything was too bright, too green. Hakudoshi wiped off his blade, concern in his eyes as he stared at me.

"I wasn't expecting her not to dodge," he explained to Kanna. She had no expression at all.

"Naraku will understand," she murmured. What would he understand? I wasn't going to die or anything, the wound wasn't that bad. The wind swirled around me calmly, allowing me to stand and to draw my fan.

"Why the hell are you alive, Kanna?" I hissed. She looked at me in what seemed to be awe. But I wasn't going to stand for it. If she wasn't dead, then she would be.

"Dance of Blades!" The blades that resulted were oddly weak but still good enough to slash both of them. Hakudoshi was able to dodge in an instant, only getting scraped by a blade. My sister wasn't so lucky, getting a blade deep in the chest. But no blood squirted out of her wound, she simply fell away, leaving a broken puppet behind.

I began to sway on my feet, the blades taking oddly a lot of energy out of my body. Everything suddenly was black.

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"Miss Kagura, Miss Kagura, are you okay?" Rin's voice called to me. My eyes opened to her face, creased with worry. Rin sat next to me, bent over, watching my face. We seemed to be in what I thought to be a prison cell.

"Why wouldn't I be fine?" I grumbled back as I began to sit up. Rin gasped and pushed me back down.

"Don't get up, you're still hurt!" Rin told me. I looked down at my chest where Hakudoshi had slashed me, my breath catching in horror. A slice in my skin, about three inches deep ran across my chest sideways, from my collar bone to the end of my ribs. Dried blood crusted my kimono as well as my skin, enough blood to almost completely cover the wound. The little bastard had almost killed me! When I got out of the damn cell, I was going to return the favor, except I wouldn't just almost kill him.

I sank back to the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cell which was covered in deep shadows. There were probably some huge spiders hidden in them. Rin lay down beside me, her hand finding mine.

"Don't worry, Lord Sesshomaru will rescue us," she said confidently. I held back my sarcastic reply. I didn't want to destroy all her hope but I knew that Sesshomaru wouldn't be coming to the rescue. He had made that painfully obvious during our argument.

"Yeah sure," I replied, feeling like crap. In any case, I didn't want Sesshomaru's help if he didn't want to provide it that much. I would just have to think of a good way to get Rin and myself the hell out of this place. "Do you know what Naraku wants with us?"

Rin made an affirmative noise. "He wants to get Lord Sesshomaru to attack," she replied. I closed my eyes. Maybe Sesshomaru had been right to not let Naraku provoke him. This was obviously a trap and I had just fallen for it like the idiot I clearly was. How could Rin sound so confident that Sesshomaru would be okay?

"Why aren't you worried about Sesshomaru?" I inquired. She sighed softly but seemed cheered up by the time she answered.

"I believe in Lord Sesshomaru," she murmured. "He'll be all right because he always has and he will be okay this time, too. Don't you think?" I turned to look at her. She was smiling hesitantly but didn't look too worried. Although I doubted that Sesshomaru would come to rescue us, the thought that he might worried the hell out of me. Naraku clearly had something plotted and Sesshomaru was too arrogant to come in wary.

"I hope so," I muttered back. I wasn't going to let myself hope because Sesshomaru definitely wasn't anything close a knight in shining armor.

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A few hours later, my laceration was completely healed, replaced by a soft pink scar that would possibly be gone in a few days. Rin was much more calm now, in a pleasant, hopeful mood. She sat in a corner, elbows on her knees as she stared out at the cell door. I sat a few feet away from her, staring at the small window in the cell.

The sky was a beautiful blue outside, not a cloud in sight. It would almost be peaceful if we had been sitting out there. But at least I had better entertainment than Rin. No one walked by the cell or anything at all. Basically, Naraku was leaving us down here to rot.

"Lord Sesshomaru will rescue us," Rin murmured. I turned to look at her.

"But if he doesn't, sitting around and waiting for him to come will do us no good. We'll be helping him if we escape somehow," I told her. She frowned and shook her head.

"Lord Sesshomaru will come," she repeated. I growled underneath my breath and stood up, my hand automatically going to where I usually kept my fan. But I knew it wasn't going to be there. It hadn't been there when I had woken up and it wouldn't be there now. If it was, I would have broken out and escaped with Rin already. It would have been all too easy to do.

I walked past Rin to the bars on the door, testing their firmness. They didn't budge in the least, no matter how I tried to jiggle them. The pins of the door weren't on our side of the door, either, so we couldn't loosen them to get out. At least not without making enough noise to attract attention. It would be best if we could get out without getting noticed, since we would just be re-taken if we did.

In any case, I doubted we would be getting out using the door. But I hadn't ruled out the window yet. I had to stretch up on my tip toes to touch the bars, wiggling them softly. They didn't move under my touch in the least but I wasn't tall enough to properly push. I began to scan around our cell. I needed something, anything to stand on so I could reach the bars.

I caught Rin's gaze. Maybe if I propped her on my shoulders, she would be able to reach the bars. The look she gave me said no, however. I knew she would wait for Sesshomaru forever but I couldn't wait that long to get the hell out of this cell. I didn't want to know what horrible fate Naraku was plotting for us.

A small bucket caught my eye and I walked over to pick it up. It would work, so long as it didn't break from my weight first. I tested one foot on it carefully, slowly putting my weight on it. To my relief, by the time all my weight was on it, it didn't break.

I put the bucket by the window and climbed on. I pushed on the bars of the window to no avail. I pushed harder and the bars moved ever so slightly. I smiled and pushed harder. They gave in that much more. I stopped and looked at my progress. The bars were about an inch closer to the outside, to ground level.

I kept pushing on the bars, Rin ignoring everything I did. Little by little, the bars moved towards the outside until _pop_ the bars came out of the window. My breath caught.

"Rin," I whispered hurriedly. She glanced at me, her gaze going to the open window. "Let's go," She continued staring at the window before standing up.

"Do you think that Sesshomaru is here yet?" she asked, hope in her eyes.

"I don't know," I informed her. "But we'll just be helping him if we are able to escape. If we are still here when he comes to kill Naraku, we'll just get in his way,"

She nodded. "Can you boost me up?" she inquired. I replied by picking her up and lifting until she was able to climb through the newly opened space. She quickly crawled through before putting her head back through the window. "It's all clear out here. Come on out!"

I stood on my bucket again and boosted myself to the window sill. Rin grabbed a hold of my arms and helped drag me through. My hand went to my hair, plucking out the feather Naraku hadn't bothered to take.

The space outside the cell was clear, too clear. I quickly shoved the bars back into the window and pulled Rin to an area that was more covered than the current one. I prayed that we wouldn't be spotted before we could escape. I thought about the fan I was leaving behind, how nice it was but I would rather have my freedom than it.

We both got on my feather and I took off, hoping the barrier only worked one way and that we would be able to get out. Before we could worry about it, however, the barrier collapsed for no reason.

I paused in the sky, searching for a reason when I felt the aura of an attack. I recognized it slowly in disbelief. The aura was Inuyasha's. Rin was wide-eyed at something to my left. I followed her gaze and saw dust rising from the force of the attack. I ignored it and kept flying.

A part of me told me to stop so I could watch Naraku's death but a larger part of me told me it was none of my business. My only mission that I had to fulfill at the moment was to get Rin out of Naraku's reach. The force of the attacks only increased as we left. Rin was stiff behind me.

As we watched from the air, an army began to walk out the woods, intent on Naraku's castle. Even from the high distance we were at, it was obviously mostly dog demons and their allies. A smile came to my lips. Naraku was cornered. I tried not to laugh with glee as I flew behind the army and landed.

A few soldiers turned to look at us as we lowered down but they continued their forward rush. Surprisingly enough, as the soldiers disappeared from sight, there was no general at their rear. Or perhaps their general was already fighting, something that was a beautiful wish in my mind.

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Naraku was dead. The words were bliss in my mind as I bent down and picked up my fan off a table in his chambers. I didn't know how but I didn't really care that much. All that mattered was Sesshomaru had come to Rin and I while the soldiers left, telling us that he had killed Naraku. Finally. I had begun to think that he would never fulfill his end of the deal.

A footstep announced I had company. I turned around, tucking my fan into its normal spot. Sesshomaru stood in the doorway, watching. I sighed and brushed by him in the doorway. I heard him follow.

His following began to bug me before I even reached the end of the hallway to go outside. I stopped abruptly, turning to glare at him.

"What the hell do you want?" I snapped at him. He was completely calm, eyes on my face.

"This Sesshomaru wishes to thank you for saving Rin although it was unnecessary," he told me. I snorted.

"Someone had to save her since you took your sweet time!" I hissed. I expected for his eyes to at least narrow but they didn't.

"You leaving?" he asked, still calm. I looked away, crushing the annoying side that made me want to say no. I had my freedom, I didn't need protection so why would I want to stay with Sesshomaru.

"Yeah…soon," I replied, looking outside at the sky. I took one last look at him and walked away, not looking back. I had my freedom and time to enjoy it. Why should I care about a simple dog demon? I swept into the sky, leaving behind my past with no regrets… that I allowed myself to think.

_THE END????????_


	24. Someone Please Wipe Him Out of My Mind!

_A/N:_ Hi! I'm really sorry for making you guys think the story was over. Guess what? It obviously is not. There is one more chapter after this one with a ending people might like a little bit better. ;)

Freedom's Will

Chapter 24

Someone Please Wipe Him Out Of My Mind

_Three Months Later_

I sank into the hot springs with a sigh, letting the warm water relax my sore muscles. It was a beautiful night out, the perfect temperature and weather. Nonetheless, I was miserable for no good reason. It completely spoiled any hint of a good mood within me.

I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the water, until only my eyes remained above the water. For three months, I had traveled around, not knowing exactly where I was, doing whatever I wanted, whenever. I had completely explored the forest surrounding me, knowing every twig and leaf within it. There was so much in the world that I could still discover. Each new discovery made me happy, if only for a little bit.

It was odd. I would have thought that I would have been happier with my freedom, but I wasn't, not in the least. And I had no clue as to why I wasn't. The annoying side of me kept drifting to thoughts of Sesshomaru but surely that wasn't the reason why I was so upset. He didn't matter that much to me. He was simply another annoyance I had escaped in my life.

Why was I even thinking about the man? He didn't matter. The only role he had played in my life was ridding me of the annoying presence. That and stealing my one source of pure support. My teeth ground together at the thought of it.

Byakuya had come found me after I had left Sesshomaru behind, asking if I had made the right decision, if I was happy with it. None of his questions made any sense at all. Of course I was happy with my decisions so why did he think there was a reason I wouldn't? At first I had thought that he would come with me. That was, until he told me that he was going to stay with Sesshomaru. There was something about a promise and Yura. He hadn't wanted to leave Yura behind because he was falling for her or something stupid like that.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he had come to me a few weeks after; to make sure I was still happy with my decision. Of course, I was, just as I was now. But he kept pressing the matter, no matter what I said. He had also told me that Sesshomaru had taken care of the marriage issue, getting an annulment of the marriage so we were officially not married any more. Byakuya had acted like the news would put me into a horrible fit, too. He seemed to want me to react to the news, to be upset that I was no longer attached to the dumb puppy. My happiness had shocked him enough into leaving and, so far, not returning.

I hoped that he had given up on the crap he had been spouting at me. I didn't give a crap what Sesshomaru did with his life, as long as I never had to see him again. In some part of me, I didn't see him just a simple pawn to kill Naraku and it bugged me. How could someone so unemotional and boring have such an effect on me? But his influence was over. I would forget him sooner or later and he would fade into an unpleasant memory, just like Kanna. Any type of wound would heal eventually; it was just waiting for it to heal that was hard.

That was the problem I was having right now, waiting for any impact Sesshomaru had on me to heal. The only thing I didn't understand was why it was so hard to forget him. I was completely over Kanna's death, both the one at his hands and at my hands, so why wasn't I over him? I just hoped my mind and heart would get back to the better path soon for I didn't know how long I could stand the thoughts of the cold bastard.

I opened up my eyes, came up for air and glared at the sky. If this continued much longer, I would have to find someone else to admire or love or whatever. Maybe I could pick up a homeless cat at the next village and make it my center of attention. Cats were easy to fall in love with, weren't they? After all, I had a lot in common with one.

I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted it and so did a cat. I was independent and liked to take care of myself. I snubbed people when I didn't want to deal with them and dared to pick a fight with those stronger than I. I would probably get along just fine with any type of cat.

Or maybe I could find a homeless dog. But on second thought, that would probably turn out in disaster. I didn't want a creature that wouldn't leave me alone, constantly clinging to me for companionship. Nor did I need a dog's loyalty, for it was an overrated trait. Hell, I wasn't even loyal to anyone and I was just fine. Besides, I already had one type of dog messing up my life. The last thing I needed was another one to bug me.

A long yawn escaped my mouth. I should probably be finding a new place to spend the night. Normally, I would have found the nearest tree and fell asleep beneath it, but I didn't feel like it at the moment. I had some money from the last village I had visited, for killing a little small fry demon that had been attacking them. The nearest village probably had an inn or something.

Ten minutes later, I was in the air, flying to the nearest village. The still-lit lanterns drew me into it slowly.

I landed in the middle of the village, looking around. It was completely empty, to my surprise. But there was noise coming from one building, which was obviously the village's inn. It looked like someone was having a party. But I had no qualms at all about crashing such a party.

I slid open the front screen with a loud _bang_. Over twenty pairs of eyes turned to stare at me in surprise. But slowly, they all turned away from me as I walked in calmly. I grabbed the nearest person, pulling them around until they faced me.

"Yo, where's the owner?" I asked evenly. The man burped on the alcohol he was chugging down and pointed towards the room at the end of the hall I had walked into. I pulled away, sort of wishing I could steal some of the alcohol in the room and entered the room the man had pointed to.

This room was silent with filthy rich people, dining. The man with his back to me had an extremely elaborate kimono on. At very other end of the table, a man stood, bowing.

"Excuse me for a moment, milord," he murmured before walking over to me. No one turned to look at me and I assumed he was the owner of this place. He walked into another room and I followed quickly.

"Is there anything I can get for you, my lady?" he asked me politely. I gave him what I hoped to be a kind smile.

"Of course," I responded. "I'd like a room for the night," He nodded.

"Very well. Will you be dining as well this evening?" he asked politely. A meal? That might be a nice change.

"Sure," I replied in a graceful tone. He smiled, probably thinking of the money that I would be giving him on top of the lord he already had staying.

"Do you mind dining with milord and his company?" he asked. I shook my head. Milord? It sounded like he was entertaining his land's lord, which could turn out to be quite entertaining for me.

"Of course not," He gestured towards the door.

"Go ahead, lady…?"

"Kagura," I replied.

"Lady Kagura, then," he repeated, walking into the room. I followed swiftly.

"The Lady Kagura will be dining with us tonight, if it pleases you, milord," the innkeeper said as he re-entered the room. All heads turned to look at us. I didn't meet any of their gazes, I simply looked at the main lord, sitting at the end of the table. My breath caught in surprise, although I think I covered it well.

The one sitting at the end of the table was no other than Ryokotsusei. His eyes widened at the sight of me and he quickly stood. The lady who had been clinging to his arm glared daggers at me as he walked over to kiss the top of my hand.

"We meet again," he murmured, catching my eyes. I smirked. Oh yes, the night was getting much more entertaining all the time.

"It would appear so," I purred back. "How have you been?" Surprise filled his eyes, most likely at my politeness. But he wouldn't understand that I was usually courteous with higher nobles, except when I was around Sesshomaru. It was just another thing I used to annoy the man.

"Quite well," he replied, just as polite as I was being. "I was surprised when I heard that you annulled your marriage with Sesshomaru," I could only stare at him.

"And why is that?" I inquired. He held out his hand.

"Perhaps we could talk about it while we eat?" he told me. A part of me told me to leave, to not betray Sesshomaru and fall into Ryokotsusei's never-ending game of making him jealous. I ignored it. Other than Sesshomaru, I hadn't played with a guy for a while and it might be fun to lead Ryokotsusei on. In the worst case, it would end up hurting Sesshomaru's pride that I had accepted his rival without hesitation and not him. Besides, Ryokotsusei had a beautiful smile. I took his hand.

"Sounds fun to me," I replied. I didn't miss the triumphant smile he suddenly had on as he led me to the table. The lady who had been sitting by him quickly left the room, anger plain. I smirked at her back as I sat down directly next to Ryokotsusei and began to eat.

"Honestly, I thought that Sesshomaru cared for you," he informed me, answering my previous question. "I have never seen him so entranced by a woman before. You seemed like the perfect couple," I smiled.

"Yeah, well I'm a good actress. What do you mean by entranced?" I inquired, pausing between bites of very good food.

"Unfortunately, neither of us have your brilliant acting skills," Ryokotsusei replied, a bit dryly. "And that's the first time I've seen him act interested in a woman before. I don't know if you noticed but his eyes never left you for an instant that night. There are very few times I've seen him so…happy, none of them at a party. To be honest, watching the two of you made me almost jealous,"

I scoffed. "He's a better actor than you give him credit for, then. Our marriage was only a simple plot he was carrying out to get rid of an annoyance,"

Ryokotsusei stared at me, true surprise in his eyes. "I do hope I wasn't the annoyance you are speaking of. I would hate to think that you married him just to make me jealous," I held back a bitter laugh. His arrogance was even more than I first thought it to be.

"I only wish," I replied.

"Then who were you two 'acting' so beautifully for?" he asked.

"No one of any importance," I said smoothly. "Just a pest both of us wanted to get rid of. Once he was dead, I didn't have any use left for Sesshomaru so I left," Suspicion filled Ryokotsusei's eyes.

"The pest you speak of must have been quite the pest, for Sesshomaru to go to such lengths. I have to say I'm surprised that you left Sesshomaru, however. Most women would have stayed with him, if just for the power and wealth he brings," Ryokotsusei murmured. I scoffed.

"I wouldn't have stayed with that arrogant, annoying, dog made of ice for all the money and power in the world," I growled. My annoying side flared up automatically, telling me silently that it wouldn't take that much for me to have stayed. Ryokotsusei laughed.

"He does scare off many with his attitude. It makes it so much easier for me to catch them," he confided. I hid a frown in my drink.

"And am I one of the women you wish to catch?" I inquired, trying not to sound too annoyed as I remembered his vain and short-lived pursuit of me. His smile became crooked.

"Is it such a bad thing?" he replied. I hid a glare with a smirk. Part of me was delighted that I was good enough for him to chase, while another part murmured Sesshomaru's name, filled with guilt. I pushed away everything but my delight.

"It all depends on the reasons," I said, trying to hide some of my irritation. "If you're trying to court me just to annoy Sesshomaru, then, yes it is a bad thing," His face blanched ever so slightly but he recovered quickly.

"I wouldn't dare chase after you to annoy him. I remember you hitting me in the face all too well. No offense but I'd rather marry a woman who isn't quite so feisty," Ryokotsusei replied smoothly. I could only smile.

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I stared at the sky, almost dozing off from complete and total comfort. If I had to stay in that same spot for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be bothered. I closed my eyes slowly, thinking about taking a nap.

"We better get back before it gets dark out," Ryokotsusei purred into my ear. I groaned in response and opened my eyes.

"What, the big bad demon is scared of the dark?" I mocked. He laughed quietly and slid his arm out from under my waist. I sighed and got up. "You're really annoying sometimes," I informed him.

"Let's just get going," he repeated. I took out my feather and soared into the air. He joined me in the sky instants later. Just like Sesshomaru had previously, he hopped on to the back of my feather. The difference was I leaned into Ryokotsusei happily instead of vindictively. Half a year had passed since I had re-meet Ryokotsusei in the village and we had been together ever since. Most thoughts of Sesshomaru had vanished in that time, although they still flared up every now and then.

I landed in front of Ryokotsusei's castle softly and jumped off, Ryokotsusei following me. His smile was devious as he entered through the stables, gesturing me to follow. I smirked wickedly as I walked behind him.

I barely walked into his chambers when he turned to me, lips suddenly at mine. I welcomed the kiss happily, deepening it hungrily. He pulled away the instant I did. I glared at him in irritation.

"Are you trying to make me mad?" I asked him. He smiled slowly and walked over to the window. I crossed my arms and glared at him. If I wanted to play games with someone, I would have gone to Sesshomaru and tried to court him. I pushed away the thought instantly. He wasn't supposed to still be in my head!

"No, I just need to ask you something. Please just listen for a little bit and don't make false assumptions. I have no plots behind my actions other than to enjoy this event," Ryokotsusei said cautiously. I stared at him confused. What the hell was he babbling about?

"What is it?" I asked. He sighed.

"I just received the invitation today. Sesshomaru is getting married at the end of this month and I am obliged to go to the wedding," he paused. I was only able to stare, trying to process his words. "If it s alright with you, I want you to come with me,"

Sesshomaru was getting married? What unlucky woman had he conned into that? A part of me, deep in my chest began to hurt at the thought of it. I ignored it, my mind frozen for no good reason. Ryokotsusei's face was suddenly in mine, worry plain.

"Kagura, are you okay?" he asked. I blinked, shaking my head.

"Yeah, just fine. I'll go with you to the wedding. In the worse case, we might be able to irritate Sesshomaru somehow and I'd hate to miss that," I replied, sounding more confident than I actually was.

Ryokotsusei smiled like a kid opening the best present ever before returning to the kiss. I joined in, but in a worse mood than before. For some reason, I couldn't shake the disappointment and resentment that lingered at the news. And I hated it.

_A/N:_ Hmmm, I wonder how you guys feel about Kagura being with Ryokotsusei. Personally, I think its fun to write. Anyways see you guys next chapter!


	25. Stop Trying to Convince Me!

_A/N:_ Hi! Finally finished. Enjoy!

Freedom's Will

Chapter 26

Stop Trying to Convince Me

I stared at my lap, wondering what the hell I was doing. I was supposed to be getting away from Sesshomaru, not running back to him. He was just another memory associated with Naraku that wouldn't go away, as much as I wanted it to. Maybe sticking around to toy with Ryokotsusei was a bad idea after all. If I was smart I would already be miles away from either of them.

How I hated to do it but I would just need to leave. I needed to get away before something awful happened. In some ways, I wanted to flaunt that I was with Ryokotsusei however, in some ways I didn't want to. Nor did I want to be seen as Ryokotsusei's prize. This was all too confusing.

I stood up, reaching for my feather. That was it. I was going to leave. I needed to get away from my past and this obviously wasn't working to that purpose. Sure, Ryokotsusei was a nice guy but he had more toy potential than lover material. I could find a toy anywhere. A toy that didn't drag me back to someone I ran away from. Maybe it was just I didn't want to see Sesshomaru get married, for some dumb reason.

"Are you ready yet?" Ryokotsusei called out. I pursed my lips but didn't answer. I was supposed to be getting ready, not deciding whether or not I should just flee. He opened the door after a few seconds. "Kagura?" His eyes went to my hand clutching the feather.

"Are you planning to go somewhere?" he asked, hurt that I wasn't sure if it was fake or not in his eyes. I stared at him for a second.

"Yeah, I think I am," I replied. He stared at me.

"Is this because of Sesshomaru?" he inquired, anger in his eyes.

"Is it any of your business?" I replied sourly. "And I'm taking the kimono," I began to walk out of the room. He caught my hand before I got very far.

"Just go to the wedding with me," he pleaded. I snorted.

"I'm not going to be a prize to make Sesshomaru jealous," I shot back. He shook his head.

"You don't have to be. If you want it to be, we won't even go as a couple," he tried to bargain.

"I just don't want to go. Get it through your head," I hissed. Ryokotsusei's lips tightened.

"If you don't come, your brother and Kagome are going to kill me. They ambushed my messenger when they heard that you were coming with me," he explained. I could only stare.

"So in that case, Sesshomaru is already expecting me to come?" I inquired. Ryokotsusei scoffed.

"I doubt it. Your brother was apparently in charge of sending out reservations. I doubt Sesshomaru would still let me go if he found out I went after you," he confided. I frowned. He was into convincing me it wasn't going to be just an effort to make Sesshomaru jealous but yet here he was delighted as he mentioned it.

"And why should I care if Kagome and Byakuya slaughter you?" I inquired. He grinned.

"Because I will tell them where you left to so they may find you and slaughter you next," he replied. I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"I'm not staying for the after party," I informed him. He smiled and held out his hand. I took it slowly. With any luck, Sesshomaru wouldn't recognize me in my present attire. If I looked any more princess-like, I would puke.

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I sighed as we landed outside Sesshomaru's castle, still wishing that I had done the smart thing and ran. But in the worst case, I would be able to make light of the nobles with Byakuya. After all, if someone was stupid enough to marry Sesshomaru willingly, she would be enough to mock for an entire night. And if Byakuya wasn't enough to keep me entertained, there would certainly be enough alcohol at such a big party.

A line of nobles sat at the entrance of the castle, probably signing in or something. The nobles who had come to the fake marriage had done the same. But it was an entirely different thing having to wait in the line. It was so dull.

Byakuya sat at the table, signing in nobles. My heart lifted at seeing him. His gaze slid right past me then shot back. I could see mocking in his eyes. No doubt he was amused to see me look so fancy. When we signed in, he was on the edge of laughing. I glared at him balefully.

"If this turns out horrible, I'm going to kill you," I muttered under my breath at him. He went slightly pale before moving on to the next set of nobles. We barely took two steps into the castle when something struck my lower half, almost making me fall. Something wrapped around me, hugging me tightly, constricting my legs. Ryokotsusei glared at the little girl hugging my legs.

"Lady Kagura!" Rin bubbled. I could only stare at her. If she had recognized me like that, I stood no chance at Sesshomaru not recognizing me. She took my hand, pulling me away. Ryokotsusei's glare deepened as I let her tow me away. But the kid was cute enough that I didn't care in the least. That was, as long as she wasn't taking me to Sesshomaru.

Thankfully, she only dragged me to the back gardens before turning to me with an upset face on. My heart ached to see her so sad. It was no wonder why she was able to melt Sesshomaru's heart.

"What's wrong, Rin?" I inquired gently. She delayed in responding, playing with a flower instead. She didn't look at me when she responded.

"Rin misses Lady Kagura," she said. I bit my lip. This was the reason why I had left without saying good bye to the kid. I didn't want to deal with this. I couldn't think of something to say that would sound good. And I already knew that changing the subject wouldn't do any good with this kid. So instead, I crouched down, picking a flower to put into her hair. She smiled at me feebly.

"Lord Sesshomaru misses Lady Kagura, too," she told me. My mind was wiped blank. Happiness rose up but was crushed by resistance. But what could I say? 'I don't care' sounded rather harsh. But Rin continued nonetheless, putting her flower in my hair as well and fiddled with her kimono, brightening slowly.

"Will Lady Kagura help Rin get ready for Lord Sesshomaru's wedding?" she asked me, a hopeful smile on her face. There was no way I could say no to that face.

"Sure," I told her. She grinned, her happiness back. "Let's go," I rose to the ground, hoping I would avoid her sadness for now. Anything was better than dealing with that.

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I pinned up a piece of Rin's hair uncertainly, hoping it would turn out alright. Why wasn't Yura doing the kid's hair instead of me? The hair slowly slid back down. I sighed. When she asked me to help her get ready I thought it consisted of helping her with her kimono or makeup not doing everything to help her prepare.

I pinned the hair up again and once again it fell down. I needed something better than just a pin. I needed some type of clip or something. It was just a pity that I couldn't use on of the flowers she liked so much to do it. Then an idea came to me, although it seemed horrible to me.

I reached into my possessions and slowly drew out Kanna's flower and used it to pin up Rin's hair. A wave of grief came over me but all I did was smile bitterly. With any luck, Rin would have a better life than its previous owner.

"Turn around," I ordered Rin. She turned and I began to examine my work. She looked good, although I was certain Yura would have done so much better than I. After all, I just knew how to put my hair into a bun and do basic makeup. But it would have to do. Rin was beaming.

"You look really pretty, Lady Kagura," she told me. I held back a scoff and stood up.

"I should be getting back to Ryokotsusei," I murmured. Her face automatically dropped.

"Rin wants to stay with you," she pleaded. I sighed.

"Sesshomaru is probably looking for you," I tried to reason. "You wouldn't want to worry him, would you?" Rin suddenly looked guilty.

"Rin lost Jaken when she started looking for you," she replied. "Lord Sesshomaru is too busy to look after her," I sighed.

"I'll help you find Jaken, then. Let's go," I ordered. She got up reluctantly and let me lead her out of the room.

"Okay," she said. I looked at her face as I dragged her out the door, feeling terrible, not caring at where I was going. That was until I bumped into someone who made Rin's face brighten. I turned to look at the person, my heart dropping. I had a pretty guess of who it was.

"Rin, what are you doing?" Sesshomaru questioned. My heart stopped beating at the sound of his voice. Did he recognize me? I looked at his face, feeling weird. Why the hell was he affecting me this way?

"Just getting ready, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin replied quietly. His gaze went to me. He seemed ready to disregard me when his eyes suddenly widened. But to my relief, he didn't seem mad. In fact, he seemed on the edge of saying something.

"Kagura," Ryokotsusei's voice suddenly echoed through the halls. Both of our gazes left each other to stare at him. Ryokotsusei acknowledged Sesshomaru with a nod before his gaze went directly to me. "There are some nobles who want to meet you," he informed me. I could feel Sesshomaru's sudden anger from where I was standing and already wanted to get away from it.

"Of course," I replied quickly and stepped to him, ready to walk away before Sesshomaru blew his metaphorical top. His gaze burned into my back as Ryokotsusei and I turned to leave. Then a hand was clutching my wrist tightly, claws almost breaking skin and I was being dragged backwards.

"This Sesshomaru wants to talk to you," the voice came from behind me, colder than an artic winter. Rin and Ryokotsusei could only watch as I was dragged into my doom.

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_Sesshomaru's PoV_

I tried to keep my face composed as I dragged the witch behind me although I was seething with anger within. I would have thought she was wise enough not to fall for Ryokotsusei's foolish traps but it would seem that I had been incorrect. As for Ryokotsusei, the fool had taunted me for long enough. He was simply lucky that I was to busy to deal with him for now.

I could feel Kagura trying to pull out of my grasp but holding onto her was effortless. Any trouble she would have given me was brushed away in my annoyance. A part of me wished to dig poisonous claws into the witch's arm to stop her struggling but I didn't let myself succumb to it. I was being irrational but unable to prevent it.

I knew I was becoming weak again, by just seeing her. I had worked for months to hide my weakness away and yet it had surfaced so easily. It was beyond my understanding, as was the reason why I was dragging the witch away. There was no reason for me to care if Kagura was with Ryokotsusei so why was I? Irrationality must have been part of the weakness I had fallen into.

Fear and stubbornness filled Kagura's eyes as I shoved her into my chambers, sliding the door shut behind me. The resounding crash surprised even me, ringing in my sensitive ears ominously.

I saw the purpose in Kagura's eyes seconds before she spoke, saw how annoyed she was at me. I prepared my ears for her anger although I was certain it was nothing close to what I was feeling.

"What do you want, Sesshomaru?" she hissed at me. My eyes narrowed automatically as her impudence although I never thought that she would be so polite as to respect those higher than her.

"This Sesshomaru should be the one asking that," I replied as calmly as I could. "Why are you here, Kagura?" My tone grew cold at the end.

"As you often put it, it's none of your business," she told me sarcastically. My temper continued to grow. I knew that my face was anything but calm. I considered replying but to do so would be lowering to myself.

"Are you going to answer me or just glare at me!" Kagura snapped. My eyes narrowed along with my patience. Had I not already answered the witch's question? Was she going to make me repeat myself?

However, she seemed content that I was not replying for she suddenly went into a barrage of berating. "And why the hell am I not allowed to be here? You invited Ryokotsusei and said he could bring a guest and he invited me. You have absolutely no right to ask me why I'm here because in a way, you were the only who invited me. At least I'm not the one who…" she trailed off biting her lip, looking like she hadn't meant to even mention the last part. But yet her irritation had risen as she had continued.

Not the one who what? Was Kagura referring to the fact this Sesshomaru was getting married? She turned her head, looking away from me, one hand going to touch her back as she stared at her lap. Seconds later, she was looking at me again, this time with her fan in front of her face. Had the witch truly been on the edge of lecturing me because I was getting married? How could she even presume to do such a thing when she came with my rival?

"This Sesshomaru got the impression that you did not care for Ryokotsusei," I murmured. She stiffened oh so slightly.

"What do you mean by that?" she demanded, her eyes shaken.

"You were not very happy when he kissed you at the party," I replied irritably. Did she truly believe I had noticed anything between them earlier today?

"Whatever," she replied dryly. "So who's the poor demoness you convinced to marry you this time?" I took my time in replying. None of courting Kaori would have been necessary if I had never met the witch although eventually that might have occurred. In any case, it had been pleasant not to have to deal with any verbal spouts since a high lady, such as Kaori, would never do such a thing. It was only a pity that Kagura's parents had died before they could teach her such things.

"The high lady Kaori," I replied promptly. Amusement came to Kagura's face. I had gone down a step in my courting but there were no Lords of Lands presently with daughters so I had to settle with the daughter of a lord that was slightly lower than a Lord of the Lands.

"Thought so," she mocked. "Her family is probably only using her to gain more power. I honestly feel bad for her, having to deal with you for the rest of her life,"

"You would know about such things, wouldn't you?" I asked softly. Her gaze sharpened.

"Meaning?" she growled, daring me to respond. I thought about keeping the information I had dug up on her family hidden for an instant before I decided it wasn't worth it. She cut me off before I could use the information to drive her away. I would not allow my weakness to return and if that meant hurting her, then it would be. "Bankotsu would have never been let marry me so that's a completely different thing," she argued.

"This Sesshomaru is aware of that. A high lord would never let his daughter marry a lower lord," I replied. Her eyes widened.

"I don't see why that applies to me," she said quickly, much too quickly.

"This Sesshomaru already knows your family's rank," I informed her. She went the slightest bit pale, looking sad but angry at the same time. Then she stood up and began to walk out the room, emitting hatred.

"Ryokotsusei is probably wondering where I am," she told me before she swept out of the room. I could already smell her tears by the time the door slammed behind her. I ignored the sudden pain in my chest and strode out of the room, ready to complete my duty. Kagura was nowhere in sight.

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_Kagura's PoV_

I jumped into the cherry blossom tree onto my favorite branch, holding back the damn tears that threatened. How the hell had Sesshomaru found out anything about my past and to what reason? Did he live to annoy me or something? How dare he bring something that I had just buried for what I thought to be for good?

I sank into the branch with a sigh and tried to calm myself. Crying would do no good for anyone, not Kanna or anyone who had been killed thanks to Naraku. My past didn't mean anything at all to me. I was over and I would forget it. I had to. I closed my eyes, feeling much calmer as I let my anger slide away. None of it mattered.

I watched the tree branches swing gently in the breeze, letting them help me calm down. That was low, even for Sesshomaru to bring up my past like that. But I supposed it had only been a matter of time before he had discovered it. I couldn't help but wonder if Byakuya had told him, however. I shook my head. It didn't matter in the least.

I began to hear music floating from the hall. The wedding must have been starting. Ryokotsusei was probably wondering where I was. I didn't feel like moving. Sesshomaru obviously didn't want me there; else he wouldn't have tried to drive me away. In a way, I wanted to show up, just to make him even more furious with me by sticking with Ryokotsusei.

Byakuya's head appeared in the branches below me, rapidly climbing. I just watched him.

"Shouldn't you be watching the wedding or something?" I called down to him. I heard him sigh as he reached my branch and sat before me.

"Honestly, do you have to climb trees like this? Can't you be normal and hide somewhere on the ground?" he complained.

"You're avoiding my question?" I accused him. He grinned.

"Probably but it sounded much too boring. Yura is a bridesmaid and I'd rather not sit alone. I'll go when you do," he said firmly. I shook my head.

"Aw, did the frozen puppy not think you good enough to be one of his bridesmaids?" I mocked. He grimaced.

"I think it was more he lost anything to do with me when I brought your name up as a potential bride," he replied sourly. I pursed my lips.

"So you were the one who told him who my father was, weren't you?" I growled. He shrugged.

"I was trying to keep my promise to Kagome, although I doubt it will be completed now," he informed me. That was the second time he had mentioned that.

"What was the promise about?" I asked him. He stared at me guiltily.

"She wanted to get you and Sesshomaru together so that you would stay with him and everything. Apparently she thought you guys were a perfect couple. I never saw it but I told her I would help. But then again, Sesshomaru's face when I suggested he marry the High Lady Kagura was priceless," he grinned. I glared at him.

"Why would you do something like that?" I growled. Sesshomaru and I? What were the two of them playing at?

"Because you seemed to be happy around him," he replied boldly. I scoffed.

"I was just pretending to do so," I told him. His eyebrows rose, amusement in his eyes.

"Were you really? Did you ever notice how much less alcohol you drank at a party with him? And you let your hair down without any fuss in the least," he interjected. I stared at him.

"That had nothing to do with him," I told him.

"I'm sure," he replied. "If it doesn't matter to you at all, then lets go watch the wedding," he challenged. I stood up. He was being foolish. I had told him before; Sesshomaru meant nothing at all to me.

"Then lets go," I told him as I jumped out the tree. He climbed down after me, seeming skeptical but hurriedly walked into the wedding. I followed, expecting a beautiful wedding with all the trimmings. What I saw was a total disaster.

Sesshomaru stood at the altar, looking annoyed, facing who I recognized faintly as the High Lady Kaori. If it had been just that, it would have been completely normal. The thing that wasn't was Ryokotsusei was the one closest to Sesshomaru, while Kaori hugged him from behind. What the hell was going on? Both Ryokotsusei and Sesshomaru were in fighting positions, hate clear on their faces.

All heads jerked around to stare at Byakuya and myself as we entered. Both Ryokotsusei and Sesshomaru relaxed slightly. Ryokotsusei cleared his throat and stepped off the altar, telling Sesshomaru, "If I were you, I'd think about what I've said. I wouldn't be so hasty to rush into this wedding,"

Sesshomaru simply answered him with a glare. The Lady Kaori looked uncomfortable and rushed off the altar, grabbing my arm and dragging me away. I resisted for a moment before following her. I didn't want to be forcibly dragged away by yet another person today. My shoulder joints hurt enough already. Honestly, this whole thing was getting aggravating. What had Byakuya and I missed during our talk?

Ryokotsusei closed the doors behind us, locking all the wedding visitors in as I followed Kaori slowly. She led me into the little room next to Sesshomaru's. The design showed that she was the new resident of the room. She gestured for me to sit down before she sat down herself. I sat down so I was facing her.

"What's going on?" I demanded. She sighed.

"I wish I knew," she murmured. Then her face grew angry. "All I know is those two fools ruined my wedding! My father shall not be happy," I frowned.

"Why did you drag me away then?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I thought you might know what was going on. You were married to Sesshomaru, were you not?" she inquired.

"Yeah," I replied. "Why does it matter?" She stared at me in distress.

"When the priest asked if there was any reason we should not be married, Ryokotsusei stood up and started saying crazy things. He told Sesshomaru not to make a mistake because he didn't care for me in the least. And Sesshomaru didn't deny it, he just glared at him. I didn't even bother to listen to the rest, I was so upset. How can I be a mistake?" Kaori paused to fade off into tears.

I was only able to stare. Why did she think that I cared? I didn't even really know her that well and she was pouring her heart out to me? But I didn't want her as an enemy so I hugged her.

"Sesshomaru is better actor than he claims to be," I told her. "In my experience, he only cares for someone if it will help benefit him somehow," She sobbed into my shoulder.

"Then why has he had your brother try to find you constantly? How does that benefit anything?" she sobbed. I stared.

"He probably doesn't want me to tell his enemies of his weaknesses," I replied.

"I'm sure," she cried. "I think…" she was suddenly cut off as the door opened. Sesshomaru and Byakuya stood in the doorway. Byakuya was grinning while Sesshomaru's face was calm.

Kaori's face turned white at the sight of Sesshomaru. "What do you want?" she accused.

"This Sesshomaru does not wish to marry you," he replied. My heart froze as Kaori's tears stopped in shock.

"I don't want to marry you either," she said coldly. "Who would want to marry a cold bastard like you?" Without another word she strode out of the room. I froze before I started to follow her out. Byakuya caught my arm.

"You're not done quite yet," I looked between the both of them and laughed.

"What, did you fulfill your bargain with Kagome or something? I want my freedom and I'm already sick of everything today. Goodbye," I told him, wanting to run away as I jerked my arm out of his grasp. He watched me start to walk away, looking defeated. He muttered something to Sesshomaru, who was suddenly walking towards me.

"Kagura," he called after me in a demanding tone. My feet froze. "Rin misses you. Rather than running to Ryokotsusei, you should stay with this Sesshomaru,"

I turned to stare at him. "What?" I asked in surprise. Did he just ask me to stay? Hell must have frozen over.

"This Sesshomaru wants you to stay so Rin isn't sad," he repeated. I felt myself grin. Wasn't that always the excuse?

"Does Rin want me to stay or do you?" I asked. He didn't respond. "In that case, I'm leaving," I walked away, wondering if he was going to chase after me. Or rather admit that he was the one who missed me not Rin.

"This Sesshomaru does," he called after me. I turned into an icicle and turned around, arm crossing.

"If I stay, I'm not staying anywhere near you. And I'm not at your beck and call," I told him. Byakuya grinned. Sesshomaru's face didn't change.

"Very well," he responded. I felt myself smile. For a moment, I thought about still leaving. But then again, if I did so, I would be back to where I started. Now at least I had someone to annoy.

"Then I'll stay, for Rin," I told him.

"This Sesshomaru needs to go prepare chambers for you then," he said before he strode off. I turned to Byakuya with a frown.

"You're responsible for this, aren't you?" I asked.

"You should just thank me and get over it," Byakuya responded. I scowled at him.

"What if I didn't want this? Ever think about that between your and Kagome's plotting," I accused him. He acted hurt, sarcasm in his eyes.

"No one is stopping you from leaving. Besides, I have your best interests at heart, somewhere very deep," he joked. I held back a laugh. "But you know, Sesshomaru seems rather happy now,"

"I'm going to kill you and Kagome sometime soon," I informed him. Byakuya sighed.

"You'll have to kill Ryokotsusei, too. Everything was his plan," he replied. I could only stare.

"But he was just trying to make Sesshomaru jealous," I argued. Byakuya shook his head.

"He saw how you two were at his party and wanted to let his rival be happy," he replied.

"How noble of him," I slumped down against the wall. "I'm so tired," Byakuya shook his head.

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_A few months later_

I stared at the sky with a smile, watching the flowers wave above me in the breeze. Sesshomaru sat next to me, watching Rin frolic in the meadow happily, expressionless. I sat up and used the wind to make his hair flutter in front of his face. He sent me an unreadable glance. I smiled and stood up, walking over to Rin.

"Let's give Sesshomaru some flowers," I whispered in her ear, while shooting a wicked smile at Sesshomaru. He didn't even have the decency to look scared. Rin laughed and began to pick flowers. I helped by holding them. Sesshomaru must have figured out our plan because he walked over and took the flowers out of my hands.

"If you wish to collect flowers, Rin, Jaken brought a basket," he informed us. I sighed.

"Do you always have to spoil my plans?" I asked him in annoyance. He sent me a half smile.

"When will you learn that you will never make a fool of this Sesshomaru?" he inquired. I smirked and put a flower in his hair, staring at it.

"I think a lily pad looks better in your hair. Let's try and find for him, Rin," I said. Rin smiled happily.

"That will not be necessary, Kagura," Sesshomaru informed me. I sighed and walked with Rin over to the river. Sesshomaru followed swiftly. I took out my fan, took Rin's hand and helped her skip over the river to my little island.

Sesshomaru watched from the riverbank. "What's wrong, you scared of a little water?" I mocked him. He didn't respond, just watched as Rin dipped her toes in the water. I sighed and sat down next to her.

"What a spoil sport, huh?" I told Rin. Sesshomaru seemed to think we weren't in any danger for he sat down along the bank and watched. I grinned when he turned away. "Maybe he needs a bath?" I whispered to Rin. She smiled and nodded wickedly. I grinned. It was so good to see how I was rubbing off on the kid.

I wave my fan slowly and let a wave of water crash down on Sesshomaru. He turned towards us at the last minute, to watch it hit him in sprinkling of rain. His expressionless face abruptly turned to what I recognized as annoyance. I smiled innocently and went back to staring at the water.

A few seconds later, water was suddenly dripped down on me in a torrent. My head jerked up in surprise to see him wringing out his hair on top of my head. My jaw dropped. What the hell was that? I scowled at him and dipped my toes in the water. He was going to pay for…later.

Sesshomaru sat down behind me. Or he could pay for it now. I turned around to look at him and kissed him. The way he froze up before returning it made me feel much better.

_The End_

_A/N: _I don't know whether I'm happy or sad its over. And it is actually over this time. I hope everyone enjoyed my first story and I can't thank you guys enough for reading! Its all because of you that it turned out so great. And a big thank you to:

Kaze Tsukai No Kagura

Saphira404

Sesshkagufan13

Charliechick

Rudhu

Khloe37

Inu-Midoriko

Killersupergirl

HeyBabySoSad

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Little Green Purse

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Lydia: (I hope it turned out okay. And I don't really understand why it really matters how long its going to take me to update 'cause it's the last chapter. But I guess it took me about two weeks.)

A.K.A everyone who reviewed! Hope everyone liked it enough to try my other stories, such as the one I just posted intitled _Distrubing Ma'at_. It had Kagura and Sess in Egypt! :P Thanks again!


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